


The Other Side

by Type40_River



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Abused Jensen Ackles, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angry Jared, Bad Curse Words, Character Death, Confused Jared, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, First Kiss, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Magic Jensen, Magic Revealed, Masturbation, Morning After, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Jensen, Secrets, Sexual Identity, Side Effects Of Magic, Slow Build, Violence, Visions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-08-15 04:19:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8042323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Type40_River/pseuds/Type40_River
Summary: Jared and Jensen have been filming supernatural for a few years now, Jared can't believe he's managed to land such an amazing role and to have made a friend like Jensen in the process! Life is perfectly normal for Jared, except for the dreams....what he doesn't know is that Jensen is about to turn his world upside down...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey All!
> 
> This is something quite different from my normal fics. I'm writing an original fantasy story and thought it might be fun to have a side one going for the boys. This is a slow build story, there will be most likely be smut in the next few chapters, who am I kidding? There will be smut ...  
> I'm halfway through the next chapter at the moment, I was going to post them together but I wanted to get some feedback about this one first, plus I'm in two minds about what I've written so far.  
> Feel free to let me know what you think and if there is anything you'd like to see in the coming chapters. 
> 
> Also, I haven't abandoned "Cracks In The Armor" or "Dancing In The Dark", I'm working on both the next chapters, just working out the last few details. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Stay true to yourself!  
> Peace,  
> River.

Jared sighs heavily as he places the script down on his lap and finishes the last of his coffee. His third one for the day and they haven't even started filming yet. He hopes that this will be the cup that dispels the tiredness of the last few sleepless nights.

It's been three days now since the dreams started. They seem so real, the colours, the smells, it's like he's there somehow, a part of the strange world. The bed, the bookshelves, the strangely high ceilings all seem too impossible to be real, and yet, it's like he knows them. Jared feels at peace for the most part, seated at a desk, studying a book with strange symbols, one very unique symbol carved on the cover of the leather book, that’s the one that sticks in his memory. 

Then the screams begin, horrifying, wailing screams of women and children, there's a large crash as the door to the bedroom opens, a tall man bursts through with his back to Jared, struggling to hold it closed. The stranger yells at him to pack his things, then another blood curdling scream comes from the other side of the door, fear racing through Jared as he scrambles around the room. That's when Jared wakes up, soaked in sweat and shaking violently from head to toe, that last scream still ringing in his ears.

 

 “Yo! Earth to Padalecki!” A voice says next to him, snapping him out of his thoughts. Looking up he sees the green of his good friend’s eyes narrowed in concern.

“You ok man?” Jensen said, a soft expression on his strong features.

“Yeah, just had another dream last night” Jared said clearing his throat and accepting yet another coffee from Jensen.

“Just as weird as the others?” He asked seating himself in a chair next to Jared as he nodded.

“look, it's been a long week, it's Friday…how about I come over tonight, have couple of beers and a steak? That'll help you sleep!”

“Sure, why not?” Jared agreed. They'd become as close as brothers in few short years since they began filming supernatural. Their friendship had grown easily over time and Jared thinks himself incredibly lucky to have such a fierce and loyal friend like Jensen.

“But you're not cooking” Jensen said with a wink “you'll just fucking burn it!”

Jared aimed a friendly punch toward the older man, he ducked it easily as he got up off the chair, the director had called him over to begin shooting.

Jared took another sip of his coffee and picked his script up again, trying his hardest to make the lines stick in his head. Today was going to be tough.

 

*

The day had passed reasonably smoothly, Jared only messed up a few takes and all in all he deemed the day a success. He and Jensen had just entered his apartment building, they'd been to the grocery store and picked up everything they needed for dinner. Jensen had not been the least bit surprised when Jared got two steaks for himself, simply shaking his head in amusement as Jared said he was a “growing boy”.

The elevator doors opened as they approach and a woman stepped out, giving Jared a wide smile as she passes him. Jared couldn’t help but smile back, she was drop dead gorgeous. Long auburn hair that flowed over her creamy skin, a low cut blue dress that hugged in all the right places and a bosom that was practically tearing the seams. She had blue eyes and the fullest lips Jared had ever seen, he almost tripped over himself, looking back to watch her walk away.

“Shit!” Jared said nudging Jensen in the shoulder “I hope she's moving in”

He stopped after a few steps, noticing Jensen had fallen behind. He turned to his friend to see what was holding him up, only to see a peculiar look on Jensen's face. His green eyes were narrowed and his lips pursed together tightly. His whole body was tense, Jared could see his shoulders set back, almost as if he was on alert, fists scrunched at his sides. Jarred had never seen his friend like this before.

 “Jensen, buddy?” Jared asked tentatively as he stepped up to him “you ok?”

“What? Oh yeah…” Jensen's posture relaxed a little as he looked at his friend “all good”

“You sure? Seems like you know her?”

“Nah” Jensen replied with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes “just….nothing”

“Ok…”

“C’mon” Jensen said brightly walking forward once more “food isn't gonna cook itself”

A few beers later Jared was standing on the balcony supervising the steaks, Jensen had vehemently told him not to touch them while he was inside prepping the salad. He looked out over the city as he took another sip of his beer, he was eternally thankful for the life that supernatural had given him.

“Jared?” Jensen's voice asked from the doorway “what's this?”

“Oh, that” Jared said turning around and seeing his notepad in Jensen's hand, the intricate diamond pattern scribbled on the page “it's the symbol on the book in my dream”

“The one on the cover?” Jensen asked staring at it, with the same odd expression he wore earlier.

“Have you seen it before?”

“It looks familiar” Jensen said with a shrug, his expression softening “maybe they've used it on the set before during a scene?”

“Oh, I never thought about that”

“All the crazy shit the write for us. It's not surprising you've had a few odd dreams”

“It's been a weird season hasn't it?” Jared asked smiling, Jensen's explanation actually made a bit of sense.

“Understatement” Jensen murmured in agreement “judging by the ratings, it's not gonna slow down any time soon”

Jared let out a short laugh, Jensen was right. It had only been three years but already the show had a large following and the writers kept out doing themselves with each episode.

“Here's too supernatural!” Jensen raised his beer clinking it against Jared's.

“Too supernatural!”

Jared was stretched out on the couch, a little tipsy from the beer and incredibly full from the good food, sleep tugging at his brain. He could hear Jensen singing to himself in the kitchen as he cleared away the remnants of their food. A knock at the door bought Jared to his feet, he wondered who would be here to see him on a Friday night.

As he opened the door and a smile spread across his face, a set of blue eyes and flowing red hair that belonged to the girl from the elevator stood before him.

“Hi!” He said brightly “can I help you?”

“Are you Jared Padalecki?” She asked in a voice that sent a shiver down his spine.

“Haha yeah, I'm am” he felt like a teenager “are you new to the building?”

“Yeah I am. I thought I recognised you downstairs” she said as a smile pulled at her full lips.

Jared had opened his mouth to invite her in, when inexplicably, he found himself moving through the air as the world blurred past him. He slammed into the coffee table hard, his vision swimming thanks to the speed at which his head connected with the wood. The beautiful woman's expression turned almost predatory as she sauntered her way towards him.

“Jared!” He heard from somewhere close to him, he vaguely registered that it was Jensen's voice.

“Jen…” He tried to warn his friend but the pounding in his head stopped him.

“You” Jensen growled as he squared himself against the woman's approach “leave. Now.”

Jared looked up at his friend, he needed to warn him. Jensen’s whole body was tensed once again, muscles coiled tightly, ready to act without hesitation. Jared tried adjusting his position, pain ripping through his arm as the woman moved inhumanly fast towards Jensen, fist extended. Jared braced himself, waiting for the inevitable collision. It didn't come.

His jaw dropped as he watched Jensen swipe his arm upwards just as fast as the woman, blocking the blow. The next few exchanges were so quick that Jared was unable to follow individual movements. A flurry of fists passed between the two, neither landing a blow but lashing out from a block in return. Jared had seen Jensen fight on set, everything so carefully choreographed, designed not to cause injury.

But this? This was something altogether different. Jensen's body moved with a fluidity Jared thought impossible. His moves instant, like muscle memory, acting without his brains instruction. Jared was sure people had to train for years to fight like this. The woman was just as quick and graceful. Her demeanour had changed now, an angry snarl escaped her, frustration obvious about being unable to land a blow on her opponent.

Jared was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him, he must've hit his heard harder than he thought because, was Jensen? Was he glowing? While his individual movements were too quick to trace, his skin was radiating the faintest light, almost as if it were coming from within him. Jared shook his head as he tried to get up, the pounding in his skull doubled and small groan escaped him. It was all it took. Jensen's concentration had faltered for a split second as his eyes darted to Jared, trying to make sure his friend was ok. It was all she needed.

The woman's fist sped out and collided with Jensen's jaw, a sickening crunch echoing throughout the room, the wind rushing from his lungs as he hit the wall, bright lights popping before his eyes before he slumped to the floor. Turning her attention on Jared she took a few slow steps towards him.

“Finally. You've been a hard person to find Jared” she smiled wickedly, bringing her hands against her chest, the thumb and index finger on each hand meeting to form a diamond.

“I'll be rewarded for this you know”

Jared gulped hard and tried to scramble back, his instincts screaming for him to put distance between them but the coffee table preventing him. An eerie yellow glow began to build within the diamond of her fingers, Jared froze, captivated by the bizarre scene before him.

“NO!” He heard Jensen's voice bellow, suddenly standing in front of Jared. How had he gotten there? How was he talking? Jared was sure she had broken his jaw, judging by the sound her punch made. He'd been on the other side of the room, Jared thought to himself, it was impossible that Jensen was standing before him, especially after the hit he just took.

The yellow ball began to crackle, little tendrils of light spreading from its core as the woman laughed. It seemed to darken in the centre and Jared could feel its power radiating as she pushed it forwards from her body, the air hissing as it moved. Jensen's fists were curled at his side, he was defenceless, Jared screamed for his friend to jump out of the way. In one movement Jensen swung both arms up in front of himself, the muscles of his forearms bulging, as an inexplicable luminous wall of energy rose from the ground in time with his fists, shimmering like a heat haze, shielding them both. Where the _fuck_ did that come from, Jared thought to himself. He flinched at the sound of glass shattering, as every window in the house blow out with the impact of the yellow light hitting the colourless wall before Jensen. Jared felt the force of the blow rip against his skin, he gasped involuntary.

Jensen grunted as the force of the energy? Magic? Knocked him back a step. All Jared could do was stare, mouth agape at what he'd just witnessed.

“Ardar!” The woman spat at Jensen, Jared could see the fear quickly spread across her face. She had clearly not expected Jensen to block her attack, her eyes darted quickly between Jensen's face and his own, she took a step back, beginning to tremble.

A wicked grin came to rest on Jensen’s face in response as his hand performed a quick, palm down circle in the air before him. The wall of energy before him warped and shifted, encased the woman quickly, sealing her in an ever shrinking bubble until she was pinned to the ground, unable to move. Jensen surveyed her for several seconds, smiling to himself apparently satisfied the cage would hold. He closed the door with a flick of his fingers, tracing a triangle with three dots in the centre, in the air before him, somehow burning into the wooden door with a dazzling white fire, before turning to Jared.

Jared had watched Jensen's actions intently, eyes never leaving him. His mind whirring as he tried to make sense of what he'd just witnessed. Jared was a rational man, sure he and Jensen worked on show where the supernatural occurred, but that was _fiction._ There must be a reason for this, he thought to himself. Was he having a stroke? A mental break? Maybe Jensen thought it would be funny to dose him with acid? Jensen smiled and took a tentative step towards Jared hand outstretched, a peace offering, adrenaline and fear flushed through him and Jared was on his feet stepping back from Jensen.

“What. The. Fuck?” Jared half shouted, pleased that Jensen had stopped moving “what the _actual_ fuck Jensen?”

“Jared, calm down. We need to get out of here” Jensen said calmly, another step forward.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN? You just…you…” Too many thoughts were racing through his brain and Jared was struggling to form a sentence “you just took on a chick in the most epic one on one I've ever seen and then…then you…what? _trapped_ her with what? Magic?”

“Jared, I _will_ tell you everything, but we need to go. _Now”_

“I'm not going anywhere with you!” He shook his head causing his head to throb painfully “not until you let me what's going on!”

“Jared!” Jensen said forcefully, Jared could've sworn his friend just flared with that odd light again “if she can find you, so can others”

“I don't care, I want to know-” Jared was cut off abruptly as a blood curdling scream came from the trapped woman, his whole body shook in response as he slammed his hands over his ears.

“Do you trust me?” Jensen said, suddenly appearing right in front of Jared making him flinch.

“I don't…do I even _know_ you?” Jared stuttered, Jensen’s warm hand wrapping tightly around Jared's arm, the touch was familiar and at the same time it made his skin crawl.

“In three years, have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?” Jensen asked, seeing the incredulous look on Jared face, he added “apart from tonight?”

“Well….no” he admitted, Jensen had been nothing but a loyal friend.

“Then trust me on this. I've spent _years_ keeping you safe. I'm not about to stop now”

“You've… _years_?” Jared asked, his voice raising an octave, not sure he’d heard correctly.

“I'll explai-” Jensen was silenced by the scream again, this time accompanied by something bashing against the sealed door, clearly trying to break it down. “Jared?”

“Ok” he mumbled, Jensen raised an eyebrow “Ok! Ok!”

“Good”

Jensen pulled Jared along with him as he gathered Jared's wallet and his phone, coming to a stop at the open doorway that lead out onto to the balcony. Releasing Jared's arm, Jensen took a deep steadying breath. Jared watched as Jensen's hands began to move, slow and graceful as he drew patterns in the air before him, muttering something in a language Jared didn't recognise. A small breeze picked up in the room, ghosting across Jared's skin, a tingle running through his body, he felt a surge of power course through him, a small part of his brain recognised the feeling.  Suddenly a white sheet of light appeared in the doorway, a slight hum coming from within. He couldn't see through it, he knew his balcony was still on the other side, but where the hell did this go?

“Jared” came Jensen's hoarse voice from beside him “I can't hold this long. It's piss or get off the pot time”

Jared looked at his friend, the pale glow was back, but as he watched it flickered slightly, Jensen’s forehead was beading with sweat and he was trembling with the effort to maintain the connection from what Jared could tell.

“I…it’s just” Jared was scared; his world had tipped on its head within a matter of minutes. They had been happily drinking and laughing, then a gorgeous homicidal woman had tried to kill him and now his best friend had summoned some kind of gateway to God knows where.  

“Jared, I can hold this gateway long enough to get us through, or I can collapse it and try to fight, but I can't do both. I don't know how many there are, but we might die if I try to fight. I'll do everything can, but I can't guarantee I'll win”

Jared stared into the piercing green eyes, he could see the truth there, Jensen was giving _him_ the choice. Jensen had already saved him once; he couldn't handle making him try again. And if he died in the attempt? Jared's blood ran cold at the thought of being responsible for that. Jensen was his friend; in that moment he knew he would die for Jared.

“Okay” he said, steeling his nerves “let's go”

Jensen gave him a curt not, grabbed hold of Jared's arm and stepped forward through the shimmering curtain and reality dissolved around them.

 

*

It was the most curious sensation, Jared thought to himself, as he felt his body reassemble on the other side of the light. It was like his mind and body had become nothing but pure energy, moving through an impossibly vast amount of space. He felt like he was momentarily connected to the entire universe before, he could see the beginning and end of all things, then he felt his body pulling itself back together, it was _not_ pleasant.

He dimly registered Jensen's hand on his arm, the sound of his ragged breathing close by, before his stomach churned. He fell to his knees and his stomach emptied its contents, he was momentarily annoyed that he would be hungry again later. As it finally subsided, he wiped his face clean with the back of his shaking hand.

He could feel Jensen leaning against him, drawing in deep breaths, his body shaking.

“Always…harder…with…some else” he panted, trying to get his legs to stop shaking so violently “this fucking world, I swear to god”

“You ok?” Jared asked, his stomach giving another small lurch.

“Just…give me a minute” Jensen stumbled forward, pulling out a chair and dropping down hard next to the table. “What about you? First few times made me chuck too”

“M’okay” Jared said, the cool air rushing into his lungs was helping, the world was beginning to stop spinning.

“Good”

Jared pulled himself up slowly, praying that his stomach could handle the shift in position. He took a few shaky steps and sat down on the chair opposite Jensen. He took a moment to look around, he was in a wide, open plan kitchen. Modern appliances, a long wooden breakfast bench, but an unmistakable rustic feel.

“Austin?” He asked looking at Jensen “this is your place right?”

Jensen nodded feebly. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes had an almost glassy look, Jared thought he might keel over and die on the spot, exactly what had Jensen done to get them out of there? Jensen was still shaking quite strongly, his hands gripping the chair for support.

“Jared. Top shelf next to the sink, small blue jar. Can you bring it to me? And two glasses of water?”

“Sure” Jared urged his body upright, moving slowly he reached the cupboard, grabbed the jar, filling two glasses of water then ambled over to Jensen and placed them before him.

“Thanks” Jensen croaked, unscrewing the lid and tipping a small amount of inky black liquid into each glass. Jared watched, fascinated as the water immediately changed to the same colourless black as the contents of the bottle.

“Drink” Jensen said sliding a glass towards him and raising his own with a weak smile.

Jared bought the glass up to his eyes “what is it?”

“Magic” Jensen replied before downing the glass in one go, grimacing slightly. “It'll help, don't sip it though, tastes like shit”

Jared studied the glass for another second before opening his mouth and drinking it down. Jensen wasn't lying, it tasted foul. He put the glass back down, coughing slightly.

“That's disgusting”

“Told you, it's a good cure-all though”

“Seriously?” Jared looked up, the colour was already returning to Jensen's face, his body had all but stopped trembling the deep green of Jensen's eyes brightened. Jared felt a warm glow spread through him, his stomach calming and the pounding in his head began to fade.

“Wow!”

“See?”

“You should sell this as a hangover cure” Jared laughed, amazed at how much better he felt already.

“Can't. It'll kill you if it's drunk too often” Jensen said with a small smile “everything in moderation”

Jared couldn't help but burst out laughing, of all people, Jensen was not the poster boy for moderation. He couldn't count the hangovers he'd had with his friend, the amount of greasy food and sugary drinks he'd watched the man ingest. He looked around the kitchen again, he'd been here many times with Jensen. He knew this place, but after everything he'd witnessed today, it seemed different. He felt a current of something run through him again, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, it was the same feeling now as when Jensen had been opening the window? Portal?

“Jen?”

“Mmmmm”

“Are…are you using your…magic or whatever right now?”

“Why?” Jensen asked him, a calculating look on his face.

“It's just…there's something here…I can feel it” Jared felt stupid as he made the statement. After all, what did he know about magic? His experience in the subject was rather limited and up until tonight he thought it was non-existent.

“Not bad, I'm impressed” A warm smile rested gently on Jensen's face “I didn't think you'd be able to feel it so quickly”

“There is something here!” Jared said, slightly mollified knowing he wasn't _completely_ insane…

“There is, well actually, there's lots of something here”

“As in?” Jared prompted after the older man remained silent for a while.

“I told you I'd explain it” Jensen said getting up and motioning for Jared to do the same as he made his way to the door “It’s gonna take some time”

He walked over to the kitchen door after a minute of hesitation, he stepped outside. Jared waited a few moments then followed, it was why he's agreed to come with Jensen after all. As he walked out onto the deck, he glanced around the yard. The large pool was crystal clear, immaculately kept lawns, he followed Jensen to the outdoor mahogany bench, accepted a beer from him and sat down, enjoying the afternoon sun on his face.

A brief silence passed between the two friends, both staring at nothing in particular, before Jensen let out a deep sigh.

“Oh Jared” Jensen said shaking his head “I should’ve explained this a _long_ time ago”


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh Jared” Jensen said shaking his head “I should’ve explained this a _long_ time ago”

“What? About being able to kick a psychotic, magic wielding bitch’s ass in my apartment?” Jared asked with a wry smile.

Jensen let out a bark of laughter, he turned and gave Jared a genuine smile, his eyes sparkling in the late afternoon sun. He placed a hand on Jared’s leg and gave it a friendly squeeze.

“I don’t know how to start”

“Why not start by explaining how the hell you did what you did tonight?” Jared asked watching Jensen ponder the question “because honestly, I'm massively freaking out!”

“Completely understandable” Jensen said with a soft smile “you have a few questions I imagine”

“More than a few”

“Alright” Jensen took a few deep breaths before continuing “as you've already gathered, what I can do is magic. I've had the gift since birth, it's quite strong in my family, there have been generations of us born with it”

“Magic” Jared repeated, the idea that it existed was still hard to wrap his head around “ I still can't believe it. So how does it work?”

“I couldn't explain it all in one night, it's too complex” Jensen said “but I can give you the basics. Essentially there are three different types of magic users. The first kind aren't really all that strong, they can use minor spells and combine ingredients to make basic potions and remedies, they have to study, they're not natural born casters”

“Kind of like wiccans?” Jared asked trying to put in terms he could understand.

“Huh” Jensen murmured as he pondered the idea “never really thought about it like that, but yeah, that's one way to look at it”

“Cool” Jared replied, maybe this whole thing wasn't so confusing after all “so the other two?”

“Well, the next class can manipulate the immediate forces around them” Jensen explained “The force of magic itself is always there, you can't see it, but it's just there. Those people can channel it and direct it using what's available and at hand. Oh, it also depends on how much they understand about magic in general”

“I don't completely follow” Jared said honestly with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I'd be surprised if you did” Jensen chuckled “I'll show you as I explain”

Jensen held out his hand palm up, wiggling his fingers back and forth, as if he was was tickling something just above it. Jared felt that odd sensation run though him again, this time he knew for sure that Jensen was using his magic.

“I'll use water for this example” Jensen explained “in the air around us are water droplets, using my gift I can move them, pull them into one central point”

As he spoke a globe of water began to gather above his palm, smaller drops were pulled into the centre allowing the mass to grow to the size of a tennis ball. Jared was enthralled, it was incredible to watch.

"So, I used the available resources near me to make this, you understand?”

Jared nodded his head slowly, magic suddenly seemed a lot more practical.

“And because I know how water molecules work, I can manipulate its state. I can cool it”

Jared's mouth was hanging open as he watched the ball of liquid slowly cool and harden, eventually becoming a completely frozen sphere.

“Or I can heat it” Jensen said wiggling his fingers, the ice melting back into water and it began to bubble. He watched as it heated rapidly, hissing as it boiled and dissipated into nothing more than steam that blew away in the gentle breeze.

"That's the most common type of magic” Jensen said resting his hand on his leg “and like I said, it depends on your level of knowledge and training”

“That's so cool” Jared said appreciatively “so that's how that woman did it in my apartment?”

“Yep. She was pretty well trained” Jensen said, he had quietly appreciated her level of skill during their encounter “I haven't seen someone quite so talented in a while”

“It was scary”

“I imagine it was, especially considering you didn't know what was going on”

“I thought you might've dosed me” Jared said sheepishly, running a large hand through his hair.

“Would've made sense at the time I guess” Jensen laughed, bumping his shoulder against Jared's.

“So what about the third kind?”

“Oh yeah” Jensen collected his thoughts and continued on “they're rare. It's very uncommon for someone to be born with that level of power”

“How powerful are they?”

“Incredibly. They can access the raw, primal magic of the world. Magic is always accessible, it's all around, but the primal magic? That’s what's left over from the beginning of the universe, still flowing deep within the earth”

“What can they do with it?”

“They can create hurricanes, move continents, form new land” Jensen said with a far away stare “some have even been strong enough enough to bend time and reality”

“Holy _shit_ ” Jared breathed, understanding the gravity of what Jensen was implying “so they can do anything?”

“No” Jensen said shaking his head, looking as if he was reminiscing “controlling power like that takes time and preparation.  One wrong gesture of your hand or a stray thought and _boom_ , you've released a wave of pure energy that causes an extinction level event, or you've blown a hole in the planet or ripped open the fabric of time”

“I don't think anyone should have that kind of power” Jared said, no one should be able to destroy an entire planet on a whim.

“You can't blame them for how they were born” Jensen said looking down and shifting in his seat “like all things, it's the intent, how you use the gift is what matters”

“Still though…”

“It can do great things too” Jensen said “the Black Plague for example? Had there been someone born with the gift back then, they could've healed every afflicted person, they could've eradicated the disease on the spot”

“Oh….” Jared trailed off lost in thought, he didn't think about it that way, he guessed Jensen had a point “So, you're the second type?”

“Hmmmmm?”

“The second type” Jared repeated “you can use the magic around you?”

“No” Jensen said very quietly, his face blushing “I'm the third kind”

“The…. _third kind?_ ” Jared parroted standing up, his mind was racing.

Jensen watched as Jared moved away from him and began pacing. A terrified look on his face. Jensen felt a twinge of guilt, he was pushing Jared to breaking point and there was still more to come. He always knew it would be difficult to have this conversation but he couldn't stop now. Jared needed to know. He watched as the tall man winced and let out a groan as he ran his hand though his hair, the wound on his shoulder hadn't completely healed with the tonic alone.

“Jared?” He asked tentatively as he stood up.

“No! Stay away!” Jared snapped, taking several steps back “I can't handle anymore Jensen. I thought I knew who you were, but this? This is way above my pay grade!”

“I'm sorry” Jensen said weakly “it's more than anyone should have to deal with”

Jared watched as his friends shoulders slumped forward, making him look quite defeated. He knew Jensen enough to know that he was genuinely sorry, he wouldn't hurt him intentionally. He wondered how long Jensen had been living with this secret? All of his life probably. Jared imagined trying to shoulder that burden, never telling anyone. God, sometimes he had enough trouble with his celebrity status, let alone being so powerful and _dangerous_. How much of his life was spent constantly keeping his power in check? Afraid that if he made the wrong move or the wrong thought crossed his mind that he might blow the world apart?

Jared felt sorry for him. Jensen had not only saved him tonight, but he had also confided in him about his deepest secret. He couldn't deny the fact that Jensen _was_ his friend. Taking a few steps he came to a stop in front of Jensen, he reached out and rested his hand on Jensen's shoulder, the older man lifting his head. His green eyes were wet. Jared knew he'd upset him.

“I'm sorry Jensen” Jared apologised “it's just….it's a lot to take in”

“I know” Jensen replied meekly “I shouldn't have said anything”

“Hey! Don't be like that” Jared said squeezing Jensen's shoulder, assuring the big man it was ok “you were gonna have to tell me something after that chick tried to kill me”

“Fair point” Jensen laughed “couldn't have you thinking you'd gone nuts”

“I'm still not one hundred percent sure I haven't”

The pair stood quietly for a few minutes, Jensen let Jared try process everything. There was still more to explain but Jensen would let Jared have the time he needed. He waited as the tall man shifted and winced again as the pain from his shoulder ran through him.

“Would you like me to fix that?” Jensen asked nodding towards Jared's injured arm.

“You can do that?” Jared immediately regretted asking as Jensen smiled and raised an eyebrow, the man could blow a hole in the universe, of course he could fix his shoulder. “Um…sure”

“It'll feel a little strange” Jensen said.

“How so?”

“You can feel when I use my gift, I know that. It'll be different when my magic actually touches you though”

“Ok” Jared said slowly, unsure of what to expect.

“Take off your shirt” Jensen instructed. He watched as Jared gingerly pulled it up and over his head.

He'd seen Jared without a shirt before, when they'd been swimming or when Jared had a shirtless scene but he still admired Jared's strong physique. His wide shoulders and powerful chest covered in smooth tan skin. His eyes travelled down his torso, well defined abs that led to a ‘V’ at his tapered waist, his muscles flexed as he bought his arms back down to his sides..

Jensen placed a hand on Jared's chest, a small gasp escaping the tall man as he felt the heat from the contact. Jared allowed himself to be turned side on to Jensen, feeling another strong hand rest between his shoulder blades. He took a quick look at Jensen, his eyes closed and his face calm. He closed his own eyes and waited for Jensen to do his thing, after a while he wondered if Jensen was actually going to be able to fix it.

Very slowly he felt a cool ripple of power spread from Jensen's hands across his skin, he moaned involuntarily as the sensation bled into his muscles. Although he couldn't explain how, the magic felt like Jensen, the calming presence he always felt when he was with Jensen seemed to translate through his magic. As it spread across his body, Jared felt something flare deep within him, it was like the current of power he'd felt from Jensen, only it wasn't, it vibrated on a different frequency. His whole body thrummed as the feeling grew, he felt it reach out and touch the power coming from Jensen.

He felt Jensen shudder beside him and his hands twitch as the contact took place. Jared's own feelings grew in response, he felt a warm glow in his chest, it felt unbelievable. The heat from Jensen's hands seemed to Intensify, his skin prickling as the sensation grew. His breathing was heavy as he allowed the pleasure to wash over his whole body. He was surprised when he felt an all too familiar twinge in his crotch, it jolted through him, fanning the fire building in his chest. He heard a sharp intake of breath from Jensen, he must've felt it too. Another minute passed, the power raged on and on in Jared's chest before Jensen broke their contact.

Jared stood unmoving, his head swimming with the after effects of what had occurred between them. He opened his eyes as he turned back to Jensen, he was breathing just as heavily as Jared and staring directly at him. His green eyes almost glowing in the dying light of day. There was a look on his face that Jared had never seen before, his gaze bore into him and he felt a shudder run through his body and another twinge in his crotch.

“ _What was that?”_ Jared asked

“That was…I…” Jensen shook his head as he tried to speak “I've…never felt that before”

“It was intense”

“Tell me about it” Jensen laughed, his features softening “I've read about it but still…”

Jared waited for Jensen to continue his sentence but it looked as though he wasn't going to finish. He slipped his shirt back on, noticing that is was dry, he looked down and the blood was gone from the fabric, magic had its uses.

“How does it feel?” Jensen asked motioning to his shoulder.

“Amazing actually” Jared said genuinely, his whole body felt better than it ever had.

“I healed all of you” Jensen explained “figured if I was doing the shoulder I might as well do the rest of you too”

“Huh” Jared looked down at his hands, the few scars he had were gone, his skin was completely smooth and unblemished “thanks”

“All good”

“So what was that?” Jared asked. Jensen opened his mouth to speak but a large rumble came from Jared's stomach, interrupting him.

“Hungry?” Jensen laughed.

“Starving actually”

“Me too” Jensen agreed patting his stomach “how about we order in some pizza?”

“What? The Great and Powerful Jensen can't just summon some?” He asked cheekily.

“I _could_ ” Jensen replied with a smile “but you wouldn't like it”

“Why?”Jared asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Conjured food taste like crap. At least, mine does” The teasing look on Jared's face made him protest “I just…I never bothered learning _how_ ok?”

“The great Jensen Ackles everybody” Jared said laughing and swinging his arms wide “can't even summon pizza!”

“Bite me” Jensen quipped with a wink and began walking towards the house.

Jared's breath caught in his throat as Jensen winked, a swooping sensation flashed in his stomach, like butterflies. _God that wink was sexy_! Jared thought to himself, then gave himself a mental shake. _Did I just think that Jensen was sexy_? He asked himself following him. _Today has been weird, that's all!_ Jared assured himself, after everything that had gone on today, one random thought about Jensen was the least of his worries.

 

*

The pizza was exactly what Jared had needed after the day he'd had. Jensen had rolled his eyes in disgust as Jared practically inhaled the better part of two pizzas by himself. As the pair sat on the large leather couch, legs crossed on the coffee table relaxing as music played softly in the back ground, Jared felt as close to calm as he thought he could manage.

He looked over at his friend, watching him stare at nothing in particular, seeing him in a whole new light. He laughed inwardly at the absurdity of it all. Magic was real, someone had tried to kill him and Jensen was apparently as powerful as some kind of Demi-God. It was insane and yet, somehow Jensen managed to make it all ok, he had an uncanny ability to do that to him. Jared had no doubts that if Jensen wasn't here, he would be climbing the walls, one outlandish thought after another would be tearing through his mind. He was grateful for his friendship, the calming aura that Jensen seemed to exude. 

“Hey Jensen?”

“Yeah”

“What's with the glowing thing?” Jared asked, the question had been burning in his mind since the attack.

“Where?” Jensen asked abruptly, sitting up and looking around, his eyes darting from place to place, an alarmed expression plastered across his face.

“Dude, relax!” Jared was laughing so hard at the look in his friends face, he hadn't meant to scare him “I meant when you use your gift, you kind of glow”

“Oh” Jensen said relaxing back into the couch, his hand resting on his chest above his pounding hear “tip for newbies? Don't say things like that without providing a context first”

“I'll remember that for next time” Jared said as his laughter began to subside “so the glow?”

“For people like me, that light is always within us, it's the connection to the deep magic of the world. Normally it's hidden but when we're confronted, sometimes it shines through”

“Oh” Jared said, it seemed like a fair enough explanation.

They sat quietly for another few minutes before Jared asked his next question, he'd tried to be patient, but he needed to know the answer.

“Why was she trying to kill me Jensen?” Jared asked looking at his friend.

Jensen sat quite still, he looked doggedly ahead not meeting Jared's eyes. He knew that from the moment that woman had sent Jared flying across the room that he would have to answer this question. He heard Jared say his name again, there was no point avoiding it, he turned his gaze towards Jared, hazel eyes boring into his own.

“You already know why” Jensen said softly, he could tell by Jared's expression that his assumption was right.

“I'm like you….aren't I?” The words should've sounded absurd, the idea that he could have the same gift as Jensen should've been laughable, instead, they confirmed his suspicions. “How long have you known?”

“Truthfully? Not until a few days ago” Jensen replied “I'd been told there was a decent chance you had the gift. But I wasn't sure until the dreams began”

“Why would the dreams matter?” Jared asked, he was irritated that Jensen had kept this from him, he'd lied when Jared had asked for his thoughts on the matter.

“It's how the power begins to surface” Jensen answered “its to do with our ancestor”

“What ancestor?”

Jared watched as Jensen repositioned himself on the couch, turning his body toward him. His posture was relaxed but his eyes were sharp as they stared into him.

“Our ancestor, the first of our kind came here from another world” Jensen began explaining “she was fleeing a war in her homeland. She was incredibly powerful, even by my standards, the story goes that her world was on the brink of mutually assured destruction”

“Mutually assured destruction?” Jared repeated, s shiver ran down his spine, that wasn't a phrase people used lightly “How? Why?”

“She never really told her children what had started the war or why it couldn't be resolved. As to how? Apparently both sides had gained access to some kind of ancient and dangerous magic. Both countries were planning on releasing it against the other. So she fled”

“And there was no chance of peace?”

“Like I said, she never chose to explain” Jensen face fell a little “whatever it was, it was clear she wanted to leave the world and pain behind her”

“So how did she come here?” Jared was captivated.

“She used her gift to open a gateway and escape, apparently she had meant to go to a safer sister world”

“Sister world?”

“A world like her own, advanced and hopefully peaceful. Strong with magic. Instead, it bought her here, thousands of years ago”

“That's rough” Jared tried to imagine what it would've been like appearing in a world so different to your own, especially fleeing a war.

“When she discovered where she was, she hid. She learnt not to use her magic in the open. Her and her children assimilated. Making a life of their own, she passed on her knowledge to her children and teaching them how to control the gift”

Jensen sat silently for a few minutes, Jared could see that it was difficult for him to explain. He couldn't help but feel sad for the woman and her children, what had she suffered just to keep them safe? How it must've felt knowing she might be the end of her kind?

“Time passed and new generations were born with the gift” Jensen continued “magic remained mostly hidden. Science began to emerge in this world. A few rouge descendants tried to leave their secretive life, it didn't end well for them”

“What happened to them?”

“Ever heard of the Salem witch trials?” Jensen said raising an eyebrow.

“No shit” Jared murmured “they were our ancestors? Like, it actually happened?”

“Mmmhmm” Jensen acknowledged “they made mistakes and paid for them, with their lives. As we grew in numbers, we developed a kind of order. Each of us maintaining the secret, we were trained by elders. Free to do what we wanted as long as we never revealed the secret and if we did? We were on our own”

“So she managed to save her children after all?” Jared said in awe “that's one hell of a legacy to leave behind”

“It sure is” Jensen agreed.

“So, what do your kind do?” Jared was curious what a normal life was like for people like that “I mean, are they all in normal society? What made you want to be an actor when you've got that kind of a gift?”

“ _Our_ kind” Jensen corrected “mostly do what they want. The bulk of them live in the handful of our own communities around the world. They're heavily protected from normal people, exposure isn't really an issue there. A few of us live out in the real world, we have work to do”

“Like acting?” Jared teased with a chuckle.

“Some of us are responsible for guarding and teaching the next generation” Jensen explained “there are occasionally kids born outside the normal bloodlines with the gift, we find them and bring them into the fold”

“Like me?” Jared asked, he felt that they were coming to the crux of the conversation finally.

Jensen surveyed him for a few moments, a gentle smile came to rest on his face, his eyes bright.

“You were…unusual” Jensen said cryptically “the gift normally begins to show early in life. But you? They kept tabs on you but you never showed any signs, no strange occurrences happened around you”

“How come?” Jared wondered what was wrong with him.

“Who knows?” Jensen said with a shrug “I was told to watch you, be there for you. So I took the role on Supernatural, easier to keep tabs from close by”

Anger suddenly flared inside Jared as Jensen finished talking. He'd been able to forgive him for keeping his identity a secret, who would've believed him without proof anyway, he even managed to overlook him lying to him about the dreams. But this? Was he a just a job to Jensen? Did he befriended him just so that he could stay close to him. Jared felt hurt, betrayed.

Jensen watched him calmly as Jared got up and began to pace the room, he could tell the tall man was angry. His body tense and fists balled at his sides, trembling slightly.

“Jared” Jensen began but was cut off.

“No! You don't get to talk!” Jared was furious and he wanted Jensen to know it “I'm just a job to you aren't I? Someone told you to watch over me and you just did. You lied to me! You made me think you were my friend! I think of you like my own blood!”

“I am your friend” Jensen said getting up and standing in front of Jared.

“No your not!” Jared's anger was white hot, he couldn't handle anymore “Fuck you Jensen!”

The sound of the television breaking made him jump, his head snapped around just in time to see it slide from its bracket on the wall and land with loud crash. He felt a set of warm hands on either side of his face, turning his head. Tears ran down his cheeks as the hurt and betrayal burned through him.

“I _am_ your friend” Jensen said deeply, his bright green eyes pleading for Jared to understand “what did I say to you back at your apartment? Before I opened the portal?”

“You…you said” Jared choked, thinking back over the nights events “You said you've been keeping me safe for years”

“Mmhmmm” Jensen murmured, his thumb softy rubbing Jared’s cheek “and that I wasn't about to stop now. Why do you think I said that?”

“I dunno” Jared mumbled “maybe you just said what you thought would get me to leave with you?”

“I said it because you _are_ my friend. My best friend” Jensen smiled widely at him “I spend three years getting to know you. Your sense of humour, how compassionate you are, how much you _fucking_ eat”

Jared let out a small laugh.

“You might've started out as a job Jared, but you're family now!”

Jared thought that he finally understood as his anger began to wash away. Jensen had been charged with watching over him, making sure he stayed safe, but he couldn't deny the bond between them. Jensen was like a brother to him and he knew Jensen felt the same deep down.

“Even you're not that good of an actor I suppose” Jared teased as he calmed down.

“You little shit” Jensen smiled “are we good?”

“Yeah” Jared croaked “we're good”

“Come here” Jensen pulled him into a tight hug, his muscled arm wrapped around his waist, pressing them close. Jared gave into the hug, gripping Jensen's shirt tightly, letting his friends warmth wash over him. Jared eventually pulled away from him and wiped his face.

“You know what you need?” Jensen asked, his eyes shining mischievously.

“What?”

“Beer” Jensen answered “it fixes everything”

“Beer sounds great, I'll go get some”

“Jared” Jensen said with a playful smile “I got it”

Jared watched like an excited child as Jensen casually waved his hand, two bottles of beer and a bottle of tequila, accompanied but two shot glasses materialised on the table.

“Show off” Jared said punching Jensen playfully in the arm as they sat down, opening a beer each.

“Yeah right” Jensen scoffed “like you won't be doing it all the time”

“Huh?” Jared asked missing the meaning of Jensen's words.

“When you get to this stage” Jensen explained “I'm sure you'll be be doing just because you can! Just don't get caught ok?”

“I'll be doing it” Jared said slowly, excitement ripping though him. He felt like a kid at Christmas, his mood grew quickly as the idea enveloped him, he could do magic! “Jensen!”

“What?”

“I'm gonna be able to do magic!”

“Yes you are!” Jensen couldn't hold back his laughter at the sight of the goofy, dimpled grin that plastered Jared's face. It was the happiest he'd seen him all day and it helped alleviate some of his guilt.

“How do I do it? Teach me!” Jared said bouncing up and down lightly on the couch “Jensen! When can we start?”

“Easy cowboy!” Jensen said before taking a swig of his beer “before you can do anything, you've got to learn how to touch your _gift_ first”

“I learnt how to do that when I was fourteen, Jensen” he said wiggling his eyebrows and making Jensen choke on his beer, he was pleased with his own innuendo.

“You're a sick man Padalecki” Jensen said rolling his eyes and wiping the beer from his chin “you've got to be able to control the magic inside yourself before you can do anything else”

“When can we start?” Jared asked excitedly, he was itching with anticipation.

“You're like a humongous child” Jensen said “if you're that eager, we can start now if it'll shut you up”

“Sweet! What do I do?”

“I'll have to guide you until you can do it on your own” Jensen said “here, get up”

Jared took a sip of his beer as he got to his feet, Jensen mimicking his actions. Jensen swept out his arm gently, the coffee table and couch slid away from them, giving them more room and making Jared jump in the process.

“That's gonna take some getting used to” Jared said quietly “watching you do shit like that”

“You'll be fine” Jensen said sitting cross legged on the floor “Come on you giant, sit!”

Jared folded his long legs underneath him as he sat down opposite Jensen on the floor, he wiggled himself closer, knees touching Jensen's as he waved him to move forward more. He watched as Jensen shifted slightly and stretched out his hands palms facing up. Jared cocked his head as he noticed the movement.

“I'm going to have to guide you the first few times” Jensen explained “it's going to require contact, so that my magic can touch yours”

“Oh, like before?” Jared asked, placing his hands on Jensen's and feeling Jensen's fingers wrap around his wrists. Jensen's hands felt soft and warm against his skin.

“Hopefully it won't be too intense” Jensen replied “last time I _was_ healing you”

“Cool”

“Now, you know what my gift feels like” Jensen began as the lights in the room dimmed “so it shouldn't shock you too much this time. Close your eyes. Try and see if you can find that same current of energy that you felt before, the one the reached out from inside you”

Jared followed the instructions, his mind was racing with possibilities, what exactly was he going to be able to do in the future? He wasn't sure exactly how he was meant to find the gift within himself, Jensen hadn't explained that part. He tried to calm his mind, to reach the spot inside him that always bought him peace when he was stressed or upset.

“It's no good Jensen” he said after a few minutes “my mind won't shut up”

“Don't worry about it” Jensen assured him, squeezing him softly “you're not going to get it on the first try. I'll help”

Jared didn't know how Jensen was planning to help quite his own mind, it was too over active. He tried again to calm his mind, the sounds of his favourite rainforest meditation track started to played in his mind.

Jared's body jerked back as a sudden coolness began to trickle up his arms, Jensen's strong fingers prevented him from accidentally breaking the contact. Jared consciously tried to even out his breathing, taking long deep breaths as Jensen's magic stole through his body. He again felt the presence of Jensen in the magic. Jared's body seemed to mirror the calmness that Jensen was radiating, he felt his mind slow. He jerked again as something in the pit of his stomach flared, it was warm and strong. Jared refocused on it this time, this must be how his gift feels, it was very different to Jensen's. Jared's magic seemed to burn much hotter, he could feel the thrum of it through his entire body, raw power radiating through him.

Very slowly he felt Jensen's cool energy reach his own burning power, the result was intense. His own gift ripped through his body, sensations racing across his skin as the contact was made. He felt Jensen's fingers grip tighter against his skin and his counterpart sucked in a deep breath. His heart was racing and he could feel it hammering in his chest, he was sure it would burst out at any moment.

_Relax Jared, it's just me. You're magic is new to your body, it's trying to adjust._

The words sounded wrong, Jared's brain was trying to make sense of them, his magic pulsed again defensively as he felt a different conciseness brush against his own.

“Jensen? What was that?” He asked sharply, something about it felt wrong, his heart began to race harder.

_It's ok, it's just me. Take a deep breath and focus._

Jared felt the tickle of the consciousness brush against his mind again, this time though, he noticed that it had the same coolness as Jensen's magic, he took another deep breath and tried reaching out with his mind, unsure of what he was expecting to happen.

_Jensen?_

_Hi buddy, you doin ok?_

_I'm…I think so…what's going on?_

_Well, firstly, congrats on managing to talk with your mind on the first attempt, not many people can do it._

_Huh? Like telepathy? That's so cool!_

Jared felt himself smile and at the same time, a throaty laugh escaped Jensen's body, he felt the coolness of his magic brighten momentarily. Jared could feel the magic within himself, the opening of his mind seemed to have given him a different perspective. He saw the gift within himself differently, how it moved and reacted to Jensen's touch.

Taking a deep breath, Jared focused his concentration, willing his gift to react to his command. He felt a tendril of his magic slowly snake out towards the cool presence, with extraordinary effort he managed to guide it to touch the other. Power flared immediately through him, his body shuddering with the contact. A jumble of images passing through his mind.

_Jensen sitting in the makeup trailer throwing candy at him._

_Watching Jensen in the waiting room before they auditioned for their parts._

_Standing against the Impala overlooking a lake in the afternoon sun._

_His own face turning and smiling at him, eyes bright above a large dimpled smile._

Jared gasped at the elation that coursed through his body with the last image, clearly that was one of Jensen's. The echo of Jensen's happiness and love reverberated through his mind, how deeply he cared for him. Jared's gift arced out instinctively, touching Jensen's, blasting him another wave of emotion. He felt a new feeling altogether take hold, that same swooping sensation behind his navel from earlier that day. His body reacting in a way he didn't expect, he felt his crotch twitch, he was overwhelmed with a desire to reach out and touch Jensen.

His eyes snapped open as their contact was abruptly severed. He found himself looking at Jensen, who was breathing heavily and staring back at him, eyes shining, his pupils wide. Jared licked his lips as he watched Jensen, noticing the mans rugged features, the strong jaw and the freckles spread across his face. He could still feel the echo of Jensen's emotions inside him, he knew Jensen cared for him, but what he'd felt pass between them was something different entirely.

Before he knew what he was doing, Jared had lent forward, bringing their faces close enough for his nose to brush against Jensen's. He reached out a large hand, cupping Jensen's warm face and moved closer.

Jensen didn't move as he felt Jared's lips against his. The emotions that had flowed between the two as he tried to guide Jared were strong and exhilarating. He hadn't meant to allow his feelings to pass to Jared, but the reaction of their magic was so powerful he couldn't help but reciprocate. Even now he could sense Jared's gift trying to reach out to him, even though he knew Jared was probably unaware that it was attempting to. He gasped as he felt Jared's warm tongue running across his lips, they parted slowly and the wet warmth of Jared's tongue invaded his mouth. It moved slowly over his own as it began to roam his mouth, he could taste the beer on Jared's tongue. He moaned into the sensation of Jared and reaching up he held him by the back of the head, deepening the kiss.

Jared felt a thrill run down his spine as the vibrations of Jensen's moan ghosted over his tongue and a wave of lust raced through him as Jensen pulled him further into the kiss. His jaw scraped against Jensen's stubble, that was new. Apart from one very sloppy, very drunken experimental kiss at a high school party, Jared had never kissed another man. It wasn't as strange as he thought it would be, after all, Jensen's lips were soft against his and the scent of Jensen was heady and intoxicating. The kiss was amazingly sensual, Jared's whole body tingled with it.

He took a deep breath as Jensen finally broke the kiss, his head swimming slightly, he'd somehow forgotten that he needed oxygen to function. Jensen rested his forehead against his, panting, his eyes fixed lustfully on Jared.

“Wow” Jared panted, it was all he could think to say.

“Yeah…wow” Jensen agreed with a weak smile.

Jared moved to kiss him again but Jensen raised his hand and placed it on his chest, holding him back.

“Jared…” Jensen said softly “wait…”

“What's wrong?” Jared asked searching the green eyes for clues “do you…you don't want to?”

“It's not that” Jensen assured him, brushing his cheek with the back of his fingers “you've just had your first real experience with your magic and if you're anything like me, you're emotions aren't entirely your own right now”

“Mmmmm” Jared murmured resting his forehead against Jensen's.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired” Jared said, truth be told he was feeling completely drained and struggling to stay awake. Jensen laughed softly.

“I slept for two days after I touched my power for the first time” Jensen said pushing him back and getting to his feet “come on, bed time”

Jared took the outstretched hand and allowed himself to be pulled upright, he was thankful for Jensen's arm around his waist, he was sure his legs would buckle at any moment. Jensen helped him make his way down the hallway to the spare bedroom. Leading him inside and sitting him on the bed.

“Clothes on or off?” Jensen asked as Jared slumped backwards onto the mattress.

“You don't have to” Jared said as he tried sitting up, Jensen just chuckled.

“Jared I've put you to bed drunk enough times…clothes off?”

“Mmhmmm”

He felt his shoes and socks come off and then felt Jensen shimmy his pants off too, Jared's body wouldn't cooperate no matter how much he willed it. He felt Jensen's weight on the bed next to him, one warm arm slid behind his back lifting him off the mattress for a moment as his shirt was pulled roughly over his head. Jensen lifted him once more and pulled the sheets back, encouraging Jared to climb under them, it took all the energy he had left to do it, but he finally snuggled under as Jensen pulled the quilt over him.

“Night Jen” Jared mumbled.

“Night Jared” Jensen replied, Jared was asleep by the time Jensen made it to the doorway, flicking off the light.

He made his way down to his own room, stripping down, shivering slightly as the cool air caressed his skin. He slid into the bed, resting one hand behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

He had known it would be tricky when Jared came into his powers, to train him after years of friendship, that it was going to be tough, but now? Jensen was at a loss to explain it all. He'd never felt such potent emotions in the past when he'd connected his magic with someone, could it simply be that because he and Jared were already so close, the bond was stronger? Maybe it was because Jared was untrained? Jensen realised he'd never helped a novice awaken the gift before. If this is how it was for every teacher the first time some touched their gift, he didn't want to ever have to do it again as long as he lived.

He yawned widely and the realisation of just how tired he was took hold, his limbs were heavy and his brain was beginning to shut down. He waved his hand lazily towards his doorway and heard the click of the heavy door locks echo down the hall. Rolling over he took a final look outside, it was a calm and peaceful night, before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey All!
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoyed it, this chapter might have seemed a little slow for some of you, there is a reason for it I promise! I wanted to get the bulk of the history type stuff out of the way so the next chapter can be more magic/training focused. 
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> Peace,  
> River.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I hope you're doing well!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took a few edits for me to finally be happy with it. As some of you might have noticed, the Rating for this story has changed, there is a reason for that. We are down the rabbit hole now, time to see how far it goes....
> 
> As always,  
> Stay true to yourself!
> 
> Peace,   
> River.

The sunlight was bright, even with his eyes closed Jared thought to himself. He was nice and cosy, the sheets warm around his body. He slowly opened his eyes, the backyard coming into view, it was a clear day outside. He turned his head so the sun wasn't so bright in his eyes, taking note that his clothes were neatly folded on the chair in the corner.

His first thought was that his tongue felt heavy and his mouth dry, he leant across to the table beside the bed and downed the cool glass of water sitting there in one go, alleviating some, but not all of his thirst. Jared's second thought, which became painfully obvious after he finished the water, was that he needed to piss, _right now_ before he wet the bed. Moving quickly, he stumbled towards the bathroom, slid down his briefs and began to relieve himself.

“Ahhhhhhhhh” he breathed as his bladder began to empty. He figured he must've been asleep for a long time given how sore he was. He gave himself a quick shake once the last trickle had finished, flushed the toilet and walked back out to his room.

He glanced out the window quickly and concluded that it must be at least mid-morning judging by the sun. He reached his hands up above his head, trying to stretch out the stiffness from his limbs, he felt the crackle and pop of his spine realigning as he reached skyward. As he tilted his head from side to side a few more pops followed, dropping his hands and bending over he touched his toes, the burn in his hamstrings felt good. He held the pose for a few seconds before straightening up and giving his arms and legs a shake.

The smell of coffee coming from down the hall made his stomach rumble, he was starving. He dressed himself quickly, noticing his jeans and shirt were freshly laundered and left his room, making the short journey down the hallway to the kitchen.

He stopped short as he came around the corner, Jensen was sitting in chair with his back to Jared, wearing a singlet and shorts as he read the paper. Jared rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he tried to focus, Jensen was perfectly relaxed as he sat there but Jared could see him glowing again. Sifting through the information Jensen had given him earlier, he recalled that Jensen had said when he was under attack that sometimes his light shone though. Jared scanned the kitchen, he couldn't see anything that would be classed as an attack and yet, there Jensen was, care free and _glowing_.

“Are you gonna stand there and watch me all day?” Jensen asked quietly, starting Jared with a small yelp.

“I..Ah…No” Jared finally managed to get out, walking into the room and taking a seat across from Jensen, his eyes still watching the incandescent light he was emitting.

“You alright?” Jensen asked tilting his head to the side.

“Yeah…it's just…” Jared felt a little foolish “you're glowing again dude!”

“I always do” Jensen chuckled as he folded the newspaper and pushed it away “you can just see it now”

“But you said it only happened when you were being attacked”

“Normal people can only see it when I'm threatened. You will be able to see it inside people like us now that you've touched your gift”

“Like, _always_?”

“Once you've practised a bit you’ll learn to control it; you'll get used to it”

“I doubt it” Jared said with a snort “you're like some kind of beacon”

“Hang on” Jensen closed his eyes and a look of concentration crossed his face as Jared watched the light waver and disappear “better?”

“How did you do that?” Jared asked as he nodded his head.

“Just reigned my magic in” Jensen said simply with a shrug “you'll be able to do it too soon enough”

“If you say so” Jared said “how'd you know I was standing there?”

“I could feel your gift. Now that I know how it feels I could probably sense you anywhere”

Jared tried to process the fact that Jensen was able to track him like a GPS signal as he watched Jensen walk to the bench and refill his and a second clean mug with coffee and sat one down in front of him along with a plate of pancakes. He smiled down at Jared.

“Figured you'd be hungry”

“Starving actually” Jared said as he dug into the pancakes.

“When are you not?” Jensen resuming his seat.

“How long was I out?”

“About fourteen hours”

“Shit”

“I knew you'd need it” Jensen replied casually “how are you feeling?”

Jared took another bite of his pancakes, chewing them slowly as he thought about his answer. Physically he felt fine, better than he had in a long time now that he thought about it. Mentally? He wasn't sure. His brain had seemed to digest most of the information and events that had been revealed to him, as much as it was strange and wildly improbable, he was ok with it. How he felt about Jensen was altogether another thing. He was no longer angry with him for hiding the truth from Jared, he completely understood his reasoning for that. He also had a new found respect for the man, what he could do was nothing short of incredible! Jared was eager to get more practise and discover what _his_ potential was. Respect and awe aside, there was now a feeling of confusion thrown into the mix.

Jared remembered vividly the kiss between them both, the feelings that had raced through his body when their magic had met, the love he'd felt from Jensen. He _knew_ that it was the love of a brother that he'd sensed coming from him, how much he really cared for Jared. The emotions when they had kissed though? Those were confusing him, he remembered the lust that had ignited within him, how desperate he'd been with the need to touch and feel Jensen. That was gone now though. As Jared looked at Jensen in the light of day, he didn't feel attracted to him, sure the dude was handsome, the Supernatural fandom could vouch for that. He hadn't ever been interested in men, Jared knew that some people were wired straight, some gay and there were those in between, he just didn't fit into the other two categories. His brain was having difficulty reconciling the memories of how he'd felt last night and how he felt now. Maybe Jensen would have some answers?

“I'm feeling ok. My body feels really good” Jared said with a smile.

“It'll start feeling even better soon”

“Huh?”

“The magic” Jensen explained “changes us a little. Your body will get stronger, quicker reflexes, heightened senses. You've already noticed that you can see my gift now”

“That kinda cool, I'll be like superman” Jared joked.

“Ha!” Jensen laughed “Not quite, although we _do_ come from another world, technically. Like I said last night, your body is getting used to your magic, you'll see the changes more as you learn to control it”

Jared remained silent as he finished his pancakes and drank his coffee slowly, his mind still thinking about everything that had transpired in the last few days.

“It's not just you that's confused Jared”

“Mmmmm?” Jared asked looking over at his friend.

“About what happened the other night”

“Oh….”

“I don't understand it completely myself” Jensen pushed on “when I woke up this morning, I called our Order and told them what had happened. They congratulate you by the way”

“For what?” Jared didn't know why people he'd never met would congratulate him.

“Coming into your gift. They’re looking forward to meeting you when you're ready”

“Oh, that's nice of them”

“I also asked for some advice”

“On what?”

“On if I should be the one to train you” Jensen said slowly “what happened between us was unusual Jared. I've never felt anything like it before”

“Is there something wrong with me?” Jared asked looking down at the table, he was still coming to terms with this whole magic thing and he wasn't sure he could get through it without Jensen's help.

“Nothing’s wrong with you” Jensen assured him “I was more concerned that you would need a different instructor, because of how strongly our magic reacted to each other”

“Oh” Jared said looking back up at Jensen, a little relieved it wasn't his doing “it doesn't normally happen like that?”

“Not normally” Jensen said with a small laugh “the others are looking into what might've caused it, they've told me not to worry though. Their working theory for the time being, is that it's purely because we're very close. Magic is a very primal force. It doesn't always react well when strong emotions enter the equation”

“I was pretty emotional the other night”

“No shit!” Jensen teased “it should be safe for me to keep guiding you, we shouldn't have a relapse of the other night now that you've gotten used to some of it”

“That's good” Jared let out a relieved sigh at the news, he didn't think he could handle anymore complications just yet “so what do we do now?”

“Well” Jensen said getting up from the table and clearing the dishes away “ _you_ are going to and have a long, hot shower”

“It's not _that_ bad” Jared said sniffing himself and scrunching up his nose, ok…maybe it was.

“See?”

“Yeah yeah” Jared huffed “I don't have any more clothes though”

“In the lounge room” Jensen waved a hand casually “I went back to your apartment in VC and got some of your stuff”

“Was...”

“She's gone” Jensen finished his thought for him “My spell would've broken once we left. You'll need to stay here for a while, not safe to go back until you're trained”

“What about work?”

“Taken care of. I told them you had some family stuff to attend to and that you had to leave. They had what they needed from us for the season anyway, were free for a few months now”

Jared got up from the table and retrieved his bags, he paused on his way past the kitchen, sticking his head in the doorway.

“Thanks Jensen, for everything” the older man gave him a smile and a nod. Jared padded his way back his bedroom, again thankful that Jensen was his friend.

 

*

 

Jared had taken his time in the shower, the hot water had felt good against his skin and it helped wash some of his concerns away. He opened the bags Jensen packed for him and was pleasantly surprised that most of the clothes inside were his favourites, he had to give it to Jensen, he was attentive. The day was already warming up so Jared opted for a pair of blue shorts and a fitting white tank top, if he was going to be spending so much time with Jensen, he might as well be comfortable.

He stepped outside and onto the deck, the wood warm beneath his bare feet, Jensen wasn't anywhere to be found inside and Jared soon knew why. He watched Jensen's head break the surface of the water in his pool, blond hair stuck against his head. He wandered over and sat down on the edge, his legs dangling in the cool water as Jensen gracefully swam over to him.

“Nice day for it” Jared said offhandedly.

“It's nice to be home” Jensen said simply “I miss it when we're filming”

“Me too”

“What do you want to do today?” Jensen asked pulling himself up out of the water and sitting beside him, small revers of water running over his muscles. Jared's eyes watched the path of one particular bead travel down Jensen's back slowly, before disappearing under the waistband of his shorts into the crack of his strong ass. He gave himself a mental shake.

“Could we…” Jared was hesitant to ask Jensen if they could try again for him to control his magic after what had transpired last time “could we try again?”

Jensen studied him for a moment, swirling his legs idly in the water.

“You sure you're up for it?”

“Well, I'm gonna have to try sooner or later aren't I?”

“You've got a good point” Jensen agreed “just, don't be annoyed if you don't get it straight away”

“I won't!” Jared's face broke into a grin; he was excited “where do we do it?”

“I've got an idea” Jensen pushed off from his seat and slid into the water, splashing Jared.

“Seriously?”

“Why not?” Jensen asked splashing Jared “it's a nice day and the water is warm”

“Alright then” Jared pulled his tank top off over his head and dropped into the water.

His body tensed initially as the cold water hit his skin, kicking off from the floor he came to the surface, wiping his face and slicking his long hair back against his head. He began to acclimate to the temperate as he swam over to the bench where Jensen was, sliding himself onto it, the lower half of his body remained submerged.

“We're gonna try it a bit differently this time” Jensen advised.

“Whatever you say Yoda”

“Grasshopper is a smart ass” Jensen quipped splashing him playfully.

“What do I do?”

“Basically the same as last time. Only I'm not going to use my power to help you” Jensen explained “normally I would but after what happened before, it's safer if it's a last resort”

“I'm cool with that” he agreed.

“Good. Now close your eyes and see what you can do”

Jared did as he was told, eyes closed he began searching inside himself, looking for the hot, raw force he'd felt the other night. His mind was much calmer this time, no far-fetched imaginings of what he would be able to do with magic, just cool, concentrated resolve.

Try as he might he couldn't seem to find it though. He remembered how it had felt when Jensen had reached out with his own gift, his body reacting with the coolness of it, like the water brushing against his skin. He felt it flare then as his mind remembered how Jensen had felt, only this time it wasn't boiling hot. Jared sensed it deep, deep down within him, a pool of energy, bubbling softly, his mind brushed against it, he recognised it as part of himself.

It had stirred as Jared had touched it, reacted to his presence, Jared pushed against it harder, trying to connect and to pierce the thin membrane that encased it. He imagined the wall around his mind and power slowly melting away, willing it to respond to his control. His will pushed harder again for a few moments before he felt the wall give way. Jared’s mind was suddenly assaulted with such power that he couldn't comprehend it all, his consciousness stretched as his gift connected with him, slotting into a place in his brain, sealing itself there permanently.

It was like a part of him had finally come to rest in its place within his mind, he could feel the shape and heat of his magic, it felt like him, familiar and unequivocally, _him._ His conciseness expanded outward, he could feel things that he'd never dreamed of. The current of the water pushed out by the jets in the pool, the way the shrubs felt the breeze against their leaves, it was beautiful and profoundly _large_. Jared couldn't believe there was this much more to the world, how things connected differently, intricacy on level he didn't know existed. His mind swept out and it brushed against a familiar white light sitting beside him, _Jensen_.

Jared's eyes snapped open as a quick succession of events occurred. He felt his magic flare reactively as his mind brushed against Jensen. He heard the older man let out a strangled cry and a very large slosh of water hit the deck surrounding the pool. He looked over to see Jensen spread eagled beside the pool, panting heavily and noticed that the pool was now half empty. He pulled himself out of the remaining water and moved to Jensen's side, gripping his arm and helping him up.

“What happened?” Jared asked in alarm, looking at his friend.

“Well” Jensen grunted as he was pulled upright “I would hazard a guess that The Link forged”

“The Link?” Jared asked confused.

“You found your magic didn't you?”

“Yeah” Jared said slowly, trying to put it into words “it was like…”

“The last piece of you fell into place?” Jensen offered.

“Exactly. It was such a rush, the things I could hear…”

Jensen watched as Jared's eyes suddenly grew wide and fearful before he doubled over, hands slamming against his head.

“Jen! Make it stop!” Jared pleaded, when he'd thought about what he'd heard previously, him mind suddenly exploded outward, he heard and felt _everything_ on the block. Jared couldn't handle the enormity of it all, the ants marching between the grass, the elation of a small child chasing a ball a few yards over, the vibrations from the music in the next house. He could hear Jensen's voice calling his name, but it was too far away.

_Jared, listen to me. You need to find something to focus on._

The familiar coolness of Jensen's consciousness pressed against his own and the words rang through his mind. At the same time, he felt Jensen's hands grip tight on his shoulders and his forehead rest on his own, the warm breath of Jensen brushing against his skin, the swooping sensation returning to his gut, a shiver running down his back.

_Jensen, what's happening? YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!_

_Don't shout Jared! I can hear you. Now, focus on me._

_There's too much, fucking hell there is SO much out there Jensen! Please make it stop, it hurts!_

_I know, just focus on me!_

Jared felt his body trembling and a scream tear his throat as the pain continued building, his cheeks were wet as tears flowed down them freely. Jared was sure he was about to pass out from the blinding pain in his head, his consciousness threatened to snap with too much information. The strong push of Jensen's mind against his own focused his attention, Jared tried to block out everything else. He concentrated on how Jensen's mind felt, it was slow and controlled, one single thought repeating itself.

_I'm here Jared, focus on my voice. I'm here Jared, focus on my voice_.

Again and again it repeated, slowly but surely Jared's own mind zeroed in on it, the area that his consciousness was occupying shrank each time the phrase repeated, his jaw was getting sore from the grating of his teeth in concentration. His mind began to clear as fewer distractions occupied his mind, until at last it was only focused on Jensen, everything else blocked out. He felt proudness radiating from Jensen's mind he felt him smiling, the adoration coming from his friend made his heart swell.

_Nicely done man! Now, you need to close your mind._

_How?_

_It's different for everyone, you have to find what works for you._

_Give me something to work with Jensen, anything?_

_Can you feel your gift?_

_Yes, it's out of control._

_No it's not. It’s you that's out of control. If you want to learn what you can do, you need to master control over your gift. It's not in charge, YOU are._

Jensen's voice rang loudly inside his head; he'd said he had to control it. He reached out and touched the pool of power inside him, his mind instinctively tried to pull back, the cool lake of power had turned into a bubbling volcano, white hot and Jared's mind was scared to touch it. Thoughts whirred back over his past, the losses he'd suffered, the pain. He'd managed to overcome those, it was his compassion and belief that life gets better that had always bought him focus and how he continued surviving. He dug deep in to that belief, hardening his resolve and commanding his magic too slow and cool. The force pushed against his control, fighting for dominance, Jared could feel the will and desire of the magic to usurp him. Jensen hadn't saved him just so he could lose him now, Jared thought to himself, it was all it took for his mind to finally overpower and tame his gift. He felt the burning white hot power diminish, struggling feebly against his iron will. It stopped storming against him and instead turned clear, cool and pliant and yielded completely. Jared knew he'd won. He opened his eyes to find Jensen's face inches from his own, eyes closed with a look of determination etched upon it.

“Jensen?” He asked tentatively, his green eyes snapping open and staring at Jared.

“Oh thank god!” Jensen breathed as his expression melted into relief. Jared was startled as he was pulled into a painfully tight hug against Jensen “I'm _so sorry_ Jared!”

“What for? You didn't do anything wrong” Jared consoled, returning the hug. Jensen felt soft and warm against him.

“Yes I did, I was arrogant and selfish” Jensen admitted pulling away from him “I was too concerned about my gift making me feel those things again, that I didn't help you like I should've”

“It's alright Jensen” he assured the older man “I was worried about it too”

“I should've put you first” Jensen replied quietly “you could've died”

Jensen broke the remaining contact between them and walked over to the bench and sat down, beckoning Jared to follow. Jared eyed him for a moment before following his steps and settling down.

“There's a reason some of us stay out in the real world, looking out for children born with magic, Jared” Jensen explained staring at his feet “it's insanely dangerous for people to establish The Link without help”

“You said that before” Jared remembered “what is The Link?”

“The Link is what we call it when someone with the gift gains control” Jensen explained “like you've now discovered, the magic isn't automatically yours to control”

“It…it kind of felt like it was trying to…take over?”

“Exactly” Jensen agreed “when someone touches their magic _properly_ for the first time, they have to gain control over it, bind it to their will. There's only once chance for them to get it right and it's in that moment”

“So….” Jared asked “what happens if they don't?”

“Normally? They die”

“Normally?” Jared parroted, something about the way Jensen said the word made his skin crawl.

“Very rarely, the magic can..change them....Turn them into…” Jensen shuddered as he went on “something else…evil”

“What? Like a demon?”

“Close enough” Jensen said with a grim smile “it's not pretty. They become nothing but rage and magic, sometimes wiping out whole towns before we can arrive to stop it”

“Have you ever, you know? Had to fight one of those people?”

“Once, it was a teenage boy, couldn't have been older than fifteen” Jensen said with a dark look on his face “he killed three of us before we could take him down”

“Shit, I'm sorry Jensen” he said cupping the strong man by the shoulder.

“I'm the one that's sorry Jared. If I had _any_ idea you would've forged The Link on your second attempt, I wouldn't have hesitated using my gift to help”

“I take it that doesn't happen often?”

“No, not at all”

The pair sat quite for a moment, an easy silence passed between them as they both processed what had happened. Jensen lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers towards the corner of the yard and Jared watched, laughing softly as the hose slid smoothly over the grass and into the pool. One more flick of his finger and the tap turned on, the hose jerked twice as the water began to flow through it, replacing the lost volume in the pool.

“Sorry about that” Jared nodded toward the half full pool.

“I'll invoice you for water bill when it come in” he teased bumping Jared's elbow “so…how does your gift feel now?”

“It feels…calmer. It kind of feels…” Jared reached out with his mind and felt the well of energy inside him, it was still and cool, it reminded him very much of Jensen “it kinda feels like your magic does”

“It starts off raw and hot, but once you've tamed it, it's cools”

“This is still so fucking weird” Jared laughed looking at Jensen “honestly, how do you deal with it?”

“Practise” Jensen offered “and time”

“Speaking of time…” Jared said wiggling his eyebrows at Jensen.

“You're hungry again aren't you?” Jensen said shaking his head “C’mon, we’ll have to go to the store, I haven't got enough food in the house to feed a Titan”

 

*

 

Jared sighed deeply as the hot water cascaded over his body, washing away the fog of sleep. His muscles were tight and sore beneath his large hands as he washed his body firmly, trying to expel the stiffness caused by the last sparring session with Jensen. He had been in here for a little over a week now and the older man had been putting him through his paces. Jared was no stranger to working out, his broad chest, muscled arms and firm legs could attest to that, Jensen's training regime however was more intense than Jared could've imagined.

They had spent the last few afternoons outside in the sunshine, covered in sweat as Jensen guided him through the movements and stances. Jensen had explained to him on the first afternoon that one of the best ways to draw out the changes that his magic would exact on his body was through fighting and training. Jared watched each new move Jensen showed him attentively, Jensen occasionally correcting his form before their bodies met in a furry of blows. Jared had been given some martial arts training by the studio for the show, he'd considered himself fairly competent and knew he could hold his own in a fight if it came down to it. Sparring with Jensen, who had years of practice under his belt was a different story, most bouts found Jared flat on his back gasping desperately to retrieve the wind that had been knocked from his lungs. Jensen had promised him that he was making progress the night before as he handed Jared an ice pack for his shoulder, in response to Jared complaints about how battered he felt.

Jared knew this was all part of his training and that Jensen was teaching him as best as he could, but he still could still bitch about how it left his body feeling. He stood under the water, head resting against the cool tiles letting his body recover. He knew that Jensen would be awake soon and that the punishment would resume shortly, so he allowed himself to enjoy his small reprieve while he could.

As Jared swept his hair from his face and opened his eyes, he felt a curious swooping sensation in his gut as his skin began to tingle and his vision blurred. Closing his eyes, he pressed a hand against the wall of the shower as the vision took hold.

The bed beneath him was soft against his back as he stretched out, his hand running slowly down his body, feeling the flushed skin underneath. Arousal was unfurling itself deep within his gut as he felt his hand come to rest on his thigh, the pads of his fingers tracing circles on the sensitive skin beneath. His free hand roaming the open expanse of his chest, tips of his fingers touching his nipple, tweaking it softly, eliciting a growl and a wave of pleasure to course through him.

His breathing was becoming more laboured as the need for release bloomed inside him, another hard pinch of his nipple made is cock twitch and he felt a pearl of precome ooze from the slit. Jared's hand slid from its position on his thigh, making its way towards his cock, fingers wrapping around softly. He looked down the length of his body, watching as his hand began to slowly pump up and down, mind dimly registering the contours of his body looked wrong and the hardness in his hand was thicker and heavier than normal.

He threw his head back as his hand twisted softly on the upwards stroke, soft skin beneath grazing his swollen head, a deep moan issuing from his throat, his lust flaring with the sensation. The hand repeated its motion as a steady stream of precome continued to ooze, coating his cock and intensifying the contact. Jared's body squirmed in the bed as he pumped harder, as his fingernails dug in to the skin beneath his hand. The heat from his cock was all but burning beneath his touch as he felt it throb painfully.

Jared ran a hand up his neck and over the side of his head, fingers curling in hair much shorter than his own. His breathing deepened as he felt his need reach its peak within him, his whole body thrumming with anticipation. As his strokes deepened he felt a warm glow spread up his legs and take hold behind his navel, ungodly moans issues from his open mouth. He doubled the speed on his cock and ran his hand once more down the length of his body, gripping his thigh as he felt his orgasm rip through him. He bit down on his lip as his cock thickened and turned his head. The few seconds before his cock began to pump warm white ropes of come along the length of his body were agonising. His whole body quaked with the intensity of his cock emptying itself over his fingers as his hand slowly stilled. He hummed to himself with satisfaction as the final shot left him, the roaring fire of need dulling into a pleasing warmth throughout his whole being. His hand released its grip on his thigh as he opened his eyes, a pair of piercing green eyes in a head of blond hair staring back at him from the mirror, attached to a body that was all too familiar and definitely not his.

“Oh Fuuuuck” Jared moaned as his eyes opened, the warmth of the water from the shower still running over him. He leant hard against the tiles as he felt his own length pulse violently and come hard and heavy, plastering the tiles. The image of Jensen's naked body pushing him over the edge into his own blissful release.

He was thankful for his hands resting against the wall of the shower, the force of his orgasm had sapped him of his strength and his legs shook dangerously beneath him. He felt the last of his come leave him and his breathing slowly return to normal as he stood letting the aftershocks roll through him.

Jared stood unmoving for a few minutes, entranced in his post orgasm rapture while his body came back under control. He rested his head against the tiles and took in a few calming breaths. He felt a rumble come from somewhere deep within him as the image of Jensen's muscled body, covered in come flashed through his mind once more, his cock half hard again.

Jared's mind was trying to process what had just happened. He had just had some kind of vision about Jensen jerking off, check. He could still feel the lust that Jensen felt while he was working himself over coursing through him, check. He had come without touching himself to one of the most intense orgasms he'd ever head, check. He also knew that he had liked every second of it, triple _fucking_ check. Jared didn't know everything that was happening right now, but the one thing he did know? He was rock hard again and his body was screaming for him to come once more. Closing his eyes, he slid his hand down his muscled frame, took hold of his throbbing cock and began jerking off, the picture of a naked and sweaty Jensen as his inspiration.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been absolutely horrible to you all, making you wait so long for a new chapter. I am super sorry about that, work has just been so bloody crazy!!! Also, I struggled quite a lot with this chapter, I know where I want the story to go, but this chapter was the bridge before things start getting REALLY heavy. I wrote this chapter FIVE different ways and this was the one I am ok with. It's not as great as I wanted and I do apologize and I promise if you stick with it, the next chapter will make it worth while.
> 
> I hope you are all doing well and getting ready for the holiday season!
> 
> I'm hoping the next chapter should be done within the week, I'm setting some time aside each week for regular writing time which = more chapters, more often! Also, If anyone is interested in being a beta for this work it would be awesome!
> 
> Peace, 
> 
> River.

Jared's limbs felt like they were made of lead as he slowly made his way towards the kitchen in search of coffee, the coolness of the tiles on his bare feet shocking him a little as he entered the kitchen. The last three weeks at Jensen's had been gruelling, Jared thought to himself as he poured himself a cup and sighing as the liquid went down. Once Jensen had deemed Jared's hand to hand skills passable and that he was sure he could hold his own in a reasonable fight, his tutelage became focused on training his gift.

This part of the training started out pretty basic, according to Jensen, getting Jared to master the simple things like telekinesis, creating fire and learning to manipulate the base elements.  Mental defense came next, in which Jared found himself constantly assaulted by Jensen's mind as he attempted to repel him, learning to build the necessary invisible walls to keep his friend out of his mind. Jared found himself surprisingly adept at the skill and soon learnt that the quickest way to distract Jensen during their mental forays was to push back at him and attack his mind, something that Jensen had not anticipated him to be able to do so well. There was always a strange look on his best friends face when he succeeded and soon enough Jensen bought the lessons to an end.

From there they'd moved onto the more complex spells that required an extraordinary amount of concentration on Jared's behalf. Jared's favourite spell by far had been the one he'd mastered only in the last few days, which was learning to conjure a sword made of pure energy that could be used in close combat. The sword itself was an extension of the gift, Jensen explained and was therefore unique in appearance for each person. Jensen's was a lengthy white broadsword where as his own was something more akin to a katana. Jared agreed with him, it felt very much like a part of him the first time he successfully conjured it; sharp, and agile. Although it had no real purpose in day to day life, Jared still couldn't get over just how _fucking_ cool it was every time he looked down at the deep green sword in his hand, shimmering slightly in the light as random tendrils of energy drifted lazily  across the blade.

Jensen was currently teaching Jared a more offensive spell now, it was the same one that the woman had use in his apartment to try and kill him. It was complex and required a huge amount of power, not only did Jared need to pull the errant wisps of energy floating around him into the spell, but he also had to pour his own gift into the mix and that was where he was failing, _miserably_. Intent, that's what Jensen had told him. The reason he couldn’t get the spell to work was because you need to will the gift to harm someone and that just wasn't him, Jared didn't consciously want to injure anyone, let alone his best friend. Try as he might during their sessions, looking at Jensen's green eyes and rugged face only made it more difficult, _friend_ not enemy his brain kept telling him. Then there was incident in the shower from a few weeks ago, confusing the hell out of him and just making the whole task more difficult until finally Jared would snap and call it a day.

Jared poured himself another coffee, willing the caffeine to energise him and wandering over to the kitchen door and stepping outside, the mid-morning sun warm against his skin. Casting his eyes around the yard he found Jensen sat at the table reading the paper, coffee beside him and only wearing his underwear. A warm glow settled inside him as he took in the older man's strong body bathed in sunlight, smooth tanned skin on display without a care in the world, the muscles in his arm flexing slightly as he flipped through the pages.

“Morning” he smiled brightly as Jared took a seat opposite him, determinedly not looking at the way his smile reached his eyes or tiny laugh lines appearing on either side of his face.

“Hey” he replied before taking a sip of his coffee.

“How are you today?” Jensen asked leaning back into the chair.

“Tired” Jared replied honestly.

Jensen nodded slightly “coffee will help. I know the training has been tough man, but your mind will get used to it eventually”

“Mmmmm”

“Seriously though” Jensen said leaning forward and resting his chin on his clasped hands, making his pecs flex, which Jared was definitely not looking at over the rim of his cup “just give it time. You're doing really well, don't be so hard on yourself”

“It's not…” Jared trailed off, contemplating whether to tell Jensen what was really on his mind.

As much as he tried to deny it, the incident in the shower had rattled him more than he cared to admit. He'd decided not to tell Jensen, hoping that he'd eventually just forget that it ever happened. Unfortunately for him it wasn't the case, the last few weeks had proved that. He found himself thinking about Jensen in a way that was downright confusing to him, he'd never felt attraction like this before and definitely not towards another man, let alone his best friend. It was as though some kind of thread connected the thought of Jensen to his dick.

As Jared tried to push the feelings down and lock them away, the more they intensified. His new heightened senses weren't helping either, he could constantly smell Jensen's intoxicating scent wherever he was in the house, the sound of his deep breathing and steady heartbeat worked its way into his ears always reminding him that Jensen was close.

He didn't have the courage to ask Jensen if one of the other physical transformations of the magic was an increased libido, for fear that Jensen would tease him relentlessly, but he was sure it was. Jared didn't think he'd been this horny before in his life, not even as a teenager that needed to jerk off at least twice a day and it was infuriating. It was a combination of the uneasiness about Jensen and the mentally taxing training he was undertaking that had him feeling so completely exhausted.

“Look it's nothing” Jared said after a while “it's just been a crazy fucking ride, you know? There's so much to learn and we're due back at work in a week, I dunno how to manage it all”

Jensen stretched out his legs and nudged Jared's foot with his own “I totally get it, I do. I was actually thinking about taking a few days off from training with you. Give you some down time”

“Thank god” Jared said as relief flooded through him.

“I thought you might agree” Jensen chuckled “I want to take you to visit a friend of mine”

“Yeah?”

“He's like us”

“Oh” Jared murmured “is he one of the elders?”

Jared started as Jensen's whole body shook as a deep laugh ripped out of him “fuck no! He really doesn't like the elders very much at all”

“How come?”

“It's a long story” Jensen offered “I called him last night and said we'd probably go and visit him today. Give you a chance to meet someone else like us”

“Sounds good to me”

“Awesome” Jensen said as he folded the paper and stood up, giving Jared an unobstructed view of his very tight and very _full_ briefs “well, have a shower and get dressed and we’ll head off when you’re ready”

“Uh..cool. I mean sure, I'll uh..go shower” Jared stumbled as he tore his eyes away from Jensen's crotch, feeling the heat in his face. He needed to get this shit sorted and soon.

Forty-five minutes, a long shower and two consecutive jerk-offs later, Jared found Jensen sitting on the couch in the lounge room waiting patiently for him, humming to himself as he walked in.

“Ready to go?” Jensen asked getting up.

“Yeah” Jared replied, his mind flashing back to his solo session in the shower as Jensen stood next to him “sorry for taking so long”

A strange look passed over his face as Jensen studied him for a few seconds “don't worry about it. It's cool”

“Should we go?” Jared asked nodding towards the front door.

Jensen smiled and shook his head slightly “Jared. We don't need the car”

“Then how are we getting there?” He asked as Jensen raised an eyebrow with a lopsided smirk “Oh…right”

“The penny drops” Jensen teased as lifted a hand in front of him.

Jared watched with a childish smile as he felt the power flow freely from Jensen and the air before them begin to shimmer white and solidify into an archway in the middle of the room. Jensen bumped Jared's shoulder with his own as the doorway stabilised. Steeling himself for the strange feeling of moving through space that he knew was to come, he and Jensen stepped forward together through the portal as the world melted away around them.

                                                             ~ 

Jared opened his eyes to the sight of the spacious lounge room that he and Jensen had materialised in. Three large leather lounges were pushed up against the walls with a glass coffee table in the middle, resting on a plush Persian rug. Soft light was streaming through the large bay windows on the left-hand side of the room, where the blinds were wide open, the balcony and city on display beyond. The tall buildings lined the sky and past them spread out the blue of the ocean, try as he might, no idea of where they were would come to him. The soft touch of Jensen's hand on his arm focused him.

“You ok?” He asked

“I don't think I'll ever get used to that” Jared replied ruefully.

“It's weird, isn't it?” Jensen asked and smiled at Jared's nod.

“Oh my god!” Came a man's voice trying to imitate a teenage girls squeal from somewhere further inside “it's Sam and Dean Winchester! I can't wait to tell all of my friends!” Followed by a chuckle.

Jared's head turned in the direction of the voice, his ears trying to discern the accent accompanying the words, it was vaguely familiar…English maybe? 

“Dayan, you don't _have_ any friends” Jensen called out smiling and beckoning for Jared to follow him towards the kitchen “I'm the closest thing to a friend you have”

“And doesn't that just speak volumes?” Dayan retorted in a deep voice “Rude fucking yanks that don't even knock before coming into my house”

Jensen looked at Jared with a wide smile and wiggled his eyebrows before raising his right hand and knocking in the empty air before him. Jared jumped a little as three solid knocks boomed around the house rattling the windows. Jensen chuckled as a low curse issued from the kitchen.

“Why do come in kind Sirs” a mocking sing song voice answered in what Jared assumed was meant to be a Texan impression, he failed magnificently.

“Don't mind him Jared” Jensen teased as they entered the kitchen “Dayan can be a bit of a handful”

“Funny you should say that Jen” the man standing with his back to them replied as he worked away at the island bench “that's what your mum said last night, _two_ handfuls if I remember correctly”

“Is that so?” Jensen queried with a shake of his head.

“Yep”

“Yeah well…mum did have _tiny_ hands”

“Fucker” Dayan replied as Jared let out a bark of laughter and finally turned around to greet them properly.

He was about the same height as Jensen, young with a powerfully built body straining obscenely against a white Volcom t-shirt and ripped jeans, deeply tanned skin and his right arm was almost completely covered in tattoos over corded muscle; an assortment of spirit animals interlaced with lines and stars. Jared appreciated the intricacy of the work that must've gone into it. His face was devastatingly handsome. A wide strong jaw with plump lips, high prominent cheekbones that all sat below blonde hair cropped short on the sides and long on the top, swept in an arch to the left. It was his eyes though that Jared couldn't look away from, they were a bright topaz blue, piercing and almost seeming to glow.

Jared was man enough to recognise a good-looking guy when he saw one, he knew he'd come the long way round but had finally grown into an attractive man. Jensen was of course  stupidly handsome, more so than he cared to admit. Both of them combined had nothing on the man before him though, no one had the right to be that attractive, Jared thought to himself, it was like he'd just stepped off Mt Olympus to mix with the mortals. He watched as Dayan stepped forward and pulled Jensen into a tight hug and found himself surprised at the twinge of jealousy in his gut.

Breaking their hug, Jensen put his hands-on Dayan’s shoulders “it's been way too long”

“I know” Dayan replied with a grin “you never visit me!”

“You could come to me”

“I could” Dayan looked thoughtful for a moment before winking “but I've got better things to do”

“Ass” Jensen muttered and released him, jerking his head towards Jared “Jared this is Dayan”

“Jensen's new student” he said knowingly “not that you could ever be a halfway decent apprentice with a shit teacher like Jensen”

“Nah” Jared laughed as Jensen punched him in the shoulder “he's ok I guess”

“I'll take your word for that” Dayan stretched out his hand “nice to meet you all the same and welcome to Melbourne”

“As in Australia?” Jared asked gaping at him and taking his hand “That’s what your accent is!”

It happened almost too quickly for Jared to understand but the moment he took Dayan’s hand, his gift reared up inside him at full force, a voice in the back of his head screaming _DANGER_ as he briefly felt the other man's magic rolling under his skin. Before he knew what was happening Dayan took five steps back and raised a questioning eyebrow, Jared's left hand whipping out and grabbing Jensen's arm. The wall around Jared's magic fell away, like a dam breaking, flooding his entire body and leaving Jared helpless against the tide that followed. He groped at it like blind man searching but he found no purchase, no way to pull it back into check as wind ripped up around the trio in the kitchen.

Jensen was in front of him in a flash with his hands on either side of Jared's head and his forehead pushing against his own, muttering for him to calm down. Whatever was happening was so far beyond Jared's control that he just yelled at Jensen for help as the speed of the wind rose to howl, sending dishes, paper towel and chairs crashing around the room. Out of the corner of his eyes Jared saw the air around them begin to shimmer, silver lines of flame without heat appearing in the air around them, stretching out and connecting until at last both he and Jensen were surrounded by a cage of shining silver flame.

He could barely hear his own screams over the gale and felt the warm, coppery tang of blood on his tongue as he felt his magic pour out of him, sapping him of his strength. A sharp slap made him open his eyes, seeing the green of Jensen's right in front of him shining brightly.

“JARED! ITS OK, ITS ME JENSEN!” His voice was cracked and hoarse, struggling to make himself heard “YOURE SAFE! NOTHING CAN HURT YOU HERE!”

“WHATS GOING ON?” Jared bellowed back, his eyes darting towards Dayan “HELP ME!”

“FOCUS ON ME JARED! JUST LIKE LAST TIME WHEN YOU LOST CONTROL, REMEMBER?”

The recognition of Jensen's magic and consciousness pushing against his own was immediate. The calming essence stole through his being, his magic vying for control over the hurricane of power within Jared. The fire was dazzlingly bright and Jared felt like he was on the verge of being pulled apart just as Jensen’s gift gave another push for dominance. He knew how Jensen's magic normally felt, the depth and scope of it but what Jensen was wielding now was more than he could comprehend and for the first time, Jared felt what it was like when Jensen let go. His own magic was a tiny card tower on the shore where as Jensen's was a churning, thirty-foot tidal wave crashing down on him. He didn't stand a chance. 

He felt his gift struggle once more against the impossible force of Jensen before breaking. The kitchen looked unusually dark in the wake of the silver fire, Jared's could still the the imprint of it where ever he looked, the floor littered with a random assortment of junk that had been tossed around by the gale. As the last little flicker of his gift wavered and retreated inside him, Jared's legs gave out from under him, boneless and exhausted.

"It's ok, I've got you” Jensen said as he pulled Jared's slack body against his own, his firm muscles pressed against him, hand carding through his har.

Jared let his head fall onto Jensen's shoulder and felt Jensen press his cheek against his head “I don’t know what happened” he said meekly, his eyelids drooping as the last of his strength left.

“Don't worry about it. I got you” and with that, Jared disappeared into the blackness.

 ~

“I still don't get how he managed it”

“I don't know”

“Jensen. That was Gods-Fire”

“I _know_. Don't look at me like that, it's not like I fucking _taught_ him how to conjure it”

The mention of Jensen's name stirred him. He was warm and comfortable, something soft was draped over him. Jared was more tired than he could remember ever having been, he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes, they felt like they were superglued shut. As his brain began to speed up, he surmised that he must be on the couch and that the warm soft thing his face was resting on was Jensen's thigh, judging by where his voice was coming from.

“That wasn't my point”

“Then what is?”

 _Dayan? Oh right, the guy who's house you trashed_.

“Jensen…” Dayan’s voice was soft, like he was trying to explain something to a child “he summoned it instinctively. No preparation, without ever having been taught... just by sheer force of will alone”

“Fuck” Jensen grumbled from somewhere above him “I don't know what to say”

“He's strong Jensen” Dayan murmured “ _fucking_ strong”

“I know” Jensen replied.

It was then that Jared felt the soft touch of Jensen's thumb caressing his cheek, ever so softly and felt a slow, steady trickling of Jensen's magic seep into him, cool and soothing as it washed through his body, easing the aches in his muscles and replenishing his strength.

“I take it then, that the council and the elders don't know the full story?”

Jensen's touch faltered for a split second before replying “no”

He heard Dayan take a deep breath “do you know what's going on?”

“Not entirely” Jensen paused before continuing “I can't explain it Dayan. You remember what happened the first time I helped him with his gift?”

“I do”

“Well it hasn't stopped. I have to be so careful now, even more than before”

“I'll look into it” Dayan said after a while "there's no precedent..."

“Thanks”

The lull in the conversation lasted for a few minutes and Jared felt himself getting better with each passing second, he was nowhere near back to normal, but for the moment he was content to lay there enjoying the contact between them.

“You're the same, aren't you?” Dayan’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

“I wasn't one hundred percent sure up until today” Jensen's voice sounded rough “but after that? I'm certain we are”

“It's not a bad thing Jensen…at least now you might not-”

“I think I triggered his gift” Jensen cut him off “just by being around him”

“You can't know that”

“But what if it _was_ me? What if I'm the reason why he…he could've had a _normal_ life”

“Don't lie to yourself, you know that's not true” Dayan's voice was full of kindness "the gift would triggered sooner or later and if you hand been there, it might've killed him...or worse"

“Jesus” Jensen choked “What if I did though? He could've had a few more years of normalcy"

“Well….” Dayan was quite for a while before he spoke next “no point on dwelling on it. Spilt milk and all that. But you have to tell him”

Silence.

“Jensen” Dayan’s voice wasn't as soft this time “when you were my apprentice I made sure you knew everything, what it meant to be an Ardar. I'm telling you now, he deserves the same”

“I know” Jensen sobbed. His hand left Jared’s cheek for a few moments, when it came back and continued its motions, Jared couldn't help but notice his thumb was wet “I'll tell him”

“Tell me what?” Jared said quietly, opening his eyes slowly and adjusting to the light. He felt Jensen's thumb freeze mid stroke.

“You're awake?” Jensen said from above him, leaning over to look him in the eyes “how are you feeling?”

“Like shit” he replied honestly, meeting Jensen's eyes “what do you need to tell me?”

“It can wait” Jensen said with a sad smile, the was a flash of something else behind his eyes that Jared didn’t have the energy to try and workout right now.

“Good” Jared said reaching up and taking Jensen's hand in his own “I don't think I'm up for a chat just yet”

Jensen chuckled softly, jostling Jared as he did “I can imagine”

“Sorry about your kitchen” Jared apologised, looking over at Dayan.

“It was my fault” Dayan said with a shrug “didn't occur to me that you hadn't met anyone else with the gift besides Jensen, should've known it might happen”

“So it's not my fault?” Jared asked feeling slightly better about the whole ordeal.

“Not at all kid” Dayan said with a grin.

“In that case, do you have anywhere I can sleep?”

“You got spunk kid, I'll give you that” Dayan said with a grin “Yeah I do, Jensen can take you, I'll get you a bottle of water”

“Thanks” Jared said, at the mention of water he suddenly realised how parched he was “better make it two ”

“Done” Dayan agreed and watched him get up and head into the kitchen.

Jared managed to swing his legs over the side of the couch and push himself up into a sitting position before Jensen moved himself in front of Jared with his hands outstretched. Jared took hold of both and let Jensen pull him upright, Jensen only just managing to catch him as his knees buckled and pulled him tight against him.

“Easy, Jay” Jensen said softly as he began slowly walking down the hallway towards the bedroom “you're gonna sleep quite a while I reckon”

“I feel like sleeping for a month” Jared groaned, burning his face in the crook of Jensen's neck. “Mmmmmm. You smell good”

“And you're so over tired” Jensen chuckled as they reached the bedroom, flicking the light on and sitting him on the bed “come on Sasquatch, into bed with you”

“'Kay” Jared mumbled, not moving.

“Want some help?” Jensen asked smirking as Jared glared at him “alright, jeez”

To be undressed by magic will probably stay in Jared's top ten weirdest moments in his life. Jensen made the very valid point that Jared could barely stand and instead of trying to undress him on the bed, opted for lifting him up into the air with his gift and stripped him down to his underwear before pulling the sheets back and sliding him in, Jared cursing the whole time at the absurdity of it all.

“Still fucking weird” Jared commented as Jensen giggled.

“Here we are” Dayan said appearing next to the bed and handing Jared the bottle. He downed the cool liquid in three gulps as Dayan put the other one on the nightstand and said goodbye.

“Anything else you need Jay?” Jensen asked hovering at the edge of the bed.

“Ummm…well…” Jared cursed his tiredness for making him so ineloquent.

Jensen smiled softly “what is it?”

“could you…only if you want…” Jared was too tired to dance around the subject any longer, he'd been doing it for weeks and now, this was as good a time as any “could you stay?”

“Sure I can jay, you don't have to ask” Jensen said walking around the bed and making to get on the covers.

“Uhhhh” Jared paused for a moment, feeling the flush of heat colour his cheeks before pulling the sheets back on the empty side of the bed.

“Oh” Jensen said understanding what Jared was getting at “ok”

Jared let out a grateful sigh when Jensen didn't question him, this was unfamiliar territory for him and maybe Jensen, now that he thought about it and he might've second guessed himself. There was something comforting about Jensen’s presence, the way he made Jared feel good just by being there. Whatever this thing was that was happening between them, he’d had enough of fighting it.

Jensen had saved him once again today; the man was fast becoming his guardian angel. Jared knew he should still feel conflicted about the urges he was feeling towards his friend and mentor but after Jensen’s consciousness had pushed against his own in the kitchen earlier, it seemed to melt away. He tried not to be too obvious about watching Jensen’s carved muscles as he divested himself of everything but his underwear and slid in beside him, his warmth pouring into Jared.

“So…yeah. I…um haven't…before” Jared mumbled.

“Jay?”

“yeah?”

“Shut up” Jensen teased with a wink and lifting his arm so that Jared could wiggle closer.

“This is…different” Jared said quietly as Jensen's arm wrapped around his back and hand curled around his waist pulling him close.

“Different good or different bad?”

Jared thought for moment as his hand moved over Jensen's chest and down his stomach, feeling the firmness beneath his hand, earning him a deep sigh from Jensen, before wrapping his arm around his waist.

“Good. Definitely good” he decided.

“I agree” Jensen said rubbing his hand in lazy circles around his waist “I wasn't sure whether you wanted to after that first kiss. I didn't want to pressure you or anything”

“I wasn't sure either” Jared said tilting his head up to look at Jensen.

“Do you know now?”

“Honestly? I don't know”

“Take your time Jay. No hard feelings if you don't”

Jared didn't know if Jensen was being completely honest with him about that fact, plus there was whatever else it was he had to tell him too; maybe he was worried about that colouring Jared's feelings toward him, it very well may Jared thought. Here and now though, with Jensen offering for him to call all the shots and just being here for him made Jared feel like he might be ok with it all.

Jared guided Jensen's head towards his with his free hand, lifting his own as much as he could manage to look Jensen in the eyes, he could feel his hand trembled with the effort it took to keep it there. Jensen moved closer until they were breathing in each other's air, waiting for Jared to back away or decide it was all too much. When Jared did neither he closed the gap, pressing his lips softly against Jared's. The softness of his lips surprised Jared for a brief moment before he coaxed them open with his tongue, slowly licking his way into Jensen's mouth, exploring the wet warmth, Jensen letting out a low growl.

Jensen didn't try to push the kiss or turn into anything more, just left it as a slow and languid exploration of each other, until they needed to break apart for air. Jared letting out a shaky breath and his head dropping onto Jensen's chest.

“So?”

“I liked it” Jared replied honestly, sliding his arm back around Jensen's waist.

“Me too” Jensen purred “I've wanted to do that for a while now”

“I can tell” Jared replied as his arm accidentally brushed against Jensen's crotch, fabric pulled taut.

“What can I say? A gorgeous man just kissed me, I can't help what my body does”

“It's cool” Jared said softly “it's kind of a turn on, you thinking about me”

“Really?” Jensen chuckled “you have no idea…”

“Actually” Jared said thinking about it “I do”

“Oh?”

“Well…at least about what you _do_ when you're thinking about me”

“Whatever” Jensen laughed.

“I've seen it” Jared said smugly as he felt the body beneath him tense “it was a couple of weeks ago, I was in the shower and I suddenly had this….vision? Of me jerking off. _Really_ slowly, feeling myself up until I came hard and when I looked across in the mirror…”

“It was me” Jensen said very quietly not moving.

“Yeah”

“I'm sorry Jared. I didn't mean to project that onto you…” Jensen grumbled “I was…particularly horny that night. I kinda forgot that you might be able to sense it if I wasn’t careful. A man can only be so controlled for so long...”

“Don't be sorry”

“Why not?”

“Because I came so hard I almost passed out”

“Shit” Jensen breathed gripping Jared a little tighter.

“Without touching myself” Jared smirked “Right there in the shower, nothing I could do about it, Just by feeling your orgasm”

“Fucking hell” Jensen moaned and Jared couldn't help but feel the older man's hips buck a few times, the hard outline of Jensen’s cock nudging his arm, the front of his underwear wet with precome.

He slowly slid his hands down Jensen's hips and thighs “does that get you hot Jen? Me coming all over the wall in the shower just because you came?”

“Ungh..fuck…yeah” Jensen moaned as Jared slid his hand over the swell of Jensen's cock then up to the waist band of his underwear.

“Yeah? You wanna come right now don't you?” He growled, pulling down his underwear as he shimmied Jensen's down his legs too, the older man's cock slapping against his skin.

“Jared…we..we don't have to”

“It's ok” Jared said kicking off his underwear and wrapping his hand around Jensen's thickness. “I know you want it. How many times have you pictured it?”

"Jay..."

Jared revelled in the power he had, to be able to pull Jensen apart beneath him "I net you've wondered what it would be like to have balls deep down your throat, gagging as you try and take it"

“Fuck yeah” Jensen panted as Jared stroked him slowly, enjoying how heavy Jensen felt in his hand "fuck you've got a filthy mouth"

“I want you to come” Jared said running his thumb over the slick head of Jensen “are you gonna come for me? I might be you're apprentice for magic, but with this? I'm the master...you'll do what _I_ tell you”

Jensen squirmed, digging his nails into Jared's side “I can't…fuck Jay, your _hand_ …so good…not gonna last…been way to long”

“Good” Jared growled, his own cock twitching in response, precome pooling on his stomach “you’re making me so fucking hard Jen. Come for me, now” He growled in his ear and brushed briefly against Jensen's mind and that was all it took.

“Fuuuuuck” Jensen groaned as his body stiffened, warm come shooting through Jared's fingers and over his fist. Just like last time he felt the rush of Jensen's own orgasm in his belly and seconds later his own cock was plastering rope after rope of come on his and Jensen's stomachs. The pair lay there holding each other tight and riding out the aftershocks of their orgasms, until at last they subsided and Jared felt himself begin to soften.

“You ok?” Jensen asked running a hand through his hair.

“Mmmmmm” Jared hummed in agreement “tired”

“Me too” Jensen said. Jared felt a quick flash power from Jensen and the cooling come on his stomach vanished.

“Handy” Jared slurred turning into Jensen's warmth, slinging his arm around his stomach and hooking his leg around Jensen's.

“Good night Jay”

“Night Jensen” he said kissing Jensen's chest softly and within moments he was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So chapter 5 has finally arrived, I'm sorry it took so long. There were a few kinks i was ironing out but now its ready to go.  
> Also, this is the first time my work has been beta'd and it will be from this point moving forwards by twizted_dezirez and it's a first for both of us so we hope you enjoy the end result. 
> 
> Chapter 6 is written, it just needs proofing and hopefully it will be up by the weekend. It's more action and magic based. 
> 
> As always,  
> Stay true to yourselves. 
> 
> River.

“Feeling alright?” Jensen asked him as he stumbled bleary-eyed into the kitchen in search of coffee, his dependence on the substance to function these days was becoming worrisome.

“Mmm” Jared grunted, accepting cup and blowing on it a few times before taking a sip, relishing the black, bitter liquid. He hoped he would eventually adjust to his gift because Jared really didn’t enjoy the idea of feeling so bone dead tired each time he used magic in future. Jensen in contrast was bright and chipper. _Fucker._

“That good huh?” Jensen laughed as he watched the tall man slump into a chair at the table and flip him the bird “you'll feel better after the coffee”

“I hope so” Jared groused taking another sip and looking at Jensen as he leant against the counter top dressed in a faded Zepplin tee and grey sweats.

“What do you remember?” Jensen asked conversationally, fingers drumming softly against the marble.

“I remember losing control” Jared said slowly as he looked around the spotless kitchen, which only last night had resembled a war zone; an apt description he thought to himself “and then…waking up on the couch, you took me to bed and…oh”

The images that flooded Jared's mind were jumbled. The heat of Jensen burning against his skin, the need of the older Texan practically bleeding into him. The feel of his mouth on his, drinking him in like a parched man stumbling out of the desert. He remembers asked Jensen to stay and then he had. _Shit_. It wasn't what he'd planned on.

"Fuck” he groaned covering his face with his hand in a desperate hope that maybe Jensen would see his embarrassment behind the gargantuan digits.

“Not exactly” Jared's head whipped up and he saw that cocky, smug smile on the freckled face. Jensen was loving this. 

“Jen…” he began, Jared didn't have enough synapses firing yet to be having this conversation, least of all while Jensen was leaning so seductively against the counter. Ok, well maybe that part wasn't intentional, but Jared's eyes couldn't help flashing toward the spot where his shirt rode up and revealed the swath of flesh beneath.

“Jared, it's alright. You were out of it last night and…well I get that it might've been a mistake”

“It's not that” Jared felt a twinge of guilt run through him as he noticed the way Jensen's face fell, he'd never liked seeing that kicked-puppy dog look on his friends face and certainly didn't like that he was the one who put it there or the way his shoulders sagged “I don't regret it”

“No?” Jensen's tone was disbelieving.

“No” God! Why did they have to do this now? Jensen's face brightened slightly “It was…nice. I just don't know what it means, or if I'm actually into all of that”

Jensen laughed. A full bellied, body rocking cackle and leant even harder against the island bench.

“Well I'm glad you find it so funny” Jared pouted and watched as Jensen dissolved further into hysterics “why are you laughing?”

“I'm sorry” Jensen apologised once he'd regained his composure “I shouldn't laugh. It's just…could you _imagine_ if the fans knew that you and I were having a discussion about your sexuality crisis the night after we'd fooled around in bed?”

Jared couldn't help but laugh at the thought too. “It would boost the ratings at least”

“To say the least” Jensen paused for a few moments before continuing “but seriously Jay, take all the time you need. I'm not in any hurry. You work through whatever you need to, I'm not gonna push it”

“Yeah?” Jared asked as relief swept through him.

The feelings and thoughts that swirled around his mind regarding Jensen were still so utterly new and confusing to him. If Jensen was willing to wait and let him work it out, then that's what he would do. Last night under blanket of exhaustion it seemed like an easy enough idea to roll with it and see here it led but in the cold light of day it seemed careless. There had been so many changes in his life recently that he wouldn't have been able to deal with if he didn't have Jensen, he was the one constant in his life at the moment. He wasn't about to risk fucking that up over what very well might just be lust, even letting things get as far as they did last night wasn't a smart move. Jensen deserved more than that.

“Yeah man. If you work out that it's not for you? Then that's that”

“I'm sorry to interrupt” both of them flinched as Dayan’s voice broke the silence, Jared turned and saw the disgustingly handsome man standing in the doorway, he was a nice enough guy but even Brad Pitt would feel insure around him “but we have company”

“Who?” Jensen asked quickly, his face surprised. People came and went from Dayan's home often enough, his apprentices and those seeking advice but no one should know he and Jared were here.

“Katarzyna” Dayan answered in a clipped tone “and she bought friends”

Jared let out a not so manly yelp as the kitchen light exploded above him, the sizzle of electricity audible for a few heartbeats before the soft tinkling of glass hitting tiles followed. Jared turned his attention from the shattered light fitting to Dayan’s unreadable expression, then finally to Jensen. Jensen's face was nothing shorty of terrifying, his top lip curled upward and exposing his teeth, giving him the appearance of a wild animal backed into a fight; his eyes narrow and gaze hard enough it could cut diamond. The marble bench top beneath his hands was now cracked, thin, jagged lines chasing outward from beneath his palms. Jensen's lapse in control was more alarming than his demeanour, Jared knew that whoever this woman was she was bad news.

"Get rid of her” Jensen spat in a low tone that sent shivers down his spine, more a growl than actual words.

“I can't Jensen” Dayan replied flinching as the normally white and peaceful aura within Jensen vanished; replaced with a blood red, flaring light instead, the wooden chopping board hurtled off the bench and onto the floor as Jensen growled again. “You know that I have no love for the council and even less for her but you can't just send her away Jensen”

“Watch me” Jensen spat as he made toward the door, stopping to glare at Dayan as he grabbed his arm. Dayan didn't even flinch under the murderous look Jensen gave him.

He was braver man than him, Jared thought to himself.

“You need to calm down” the blonde breathed in a gentle tone “there's too much in flux right now”

The dark light inside Jensen lashed out once more “you can't _fucking_ expect me to talk to her”

“I can and I do” Dayan stepped closer to the man and gripped harder “this isn't just about you. Think about _why_ she would be here Jensen”

“I don't care!”

“She has half a dozen Yatnansus with her Jensen! There's only one reason they'd accompany her”

Jensen's brows creased in confusion and his voice pitched an octave higher “ _half a dozen?_ Why _?_ ”

“Why do you think?” Dayan’s startling blue eyes flicked quickly in Jared's direction then back again, drawing yet another growl from Jensen.

“No” the one-word answer sounded like most dangerous threat Jared had ever heard.

“If we do this right Jensen” the older man placed a gentle hand on Jensen's cheek “history won't need to repeat itself”

“Alright” Jensen sighed after a few second and pulling in the anger as best he could while trying not to drown in the undercurrent of fear “if something goes wrong…”

“I'll keep him safe” Dayan finally let go “wait for us outside, I need to speak with Jared a moment”

Jensen gave Jared a heartbreaking and sorrowful look before exiting the room and closing the wooden door behind him. Dayan was by his side in a flash.

“Jared, I need you to listen very carefully” Dayan said in a hushed voice reaching toward him.

“Yeah of… _fucking hell Dayan! Your hand!_ ” Jared shrieked as his eyes looked down and grabbed his wrist.

Jared thought he should be given a medal for not passing out at the sight of the charred and disfigured hand, he didn't even throw up even though his stomach was performing a series of backflips right now. Dayan's hand, if you could still call it that, was almost entirely burnt. There were scraps of flesh peeling away on his palm, the skin was partially melted into the meat of his fingers and Jared could quite clearly see the underside of the knuckle on Dayan’s ring finger.

"Jensen was angry” Dayan said looking down at his hand like he was only mildly curious before wiggling his fingers and healing himself between one blink and the next “see? All better?”

“Jensen did that? It must've hurt”

“Not intentionally” the Australian answered with a wry smile “I've been through much worse for Jensen and I'd do it again in a heartbeat”

“What's going on Dayan?” Jared enquired, he'd never seen Jensen truly angry before “who were you talking about that got to Jensen so bad?”

“I need you to pay attention to what I'm about to say Jared” Dayan deflected “you need to keep control of your gift when we go into the lounge room. There are seven other sorcerers out there and we can't afford another repeat of yesterday. We don't need complications right now”

“I'll be ok” Jared promised. He was still wiped from the previous day's events and he doubted he could muster his gift even if he tried and if Jensen needed him to remain in control, then that's what he'd do come hell or high water.

Dayan looked at him sternly “you'd better, because if you don't? We are all in for a world of trouble”

“Is it that Katarzyna woman?” Dayan answered his question with the look on his face alone. “Who is she?”

“A move I wasn't expecting. Not this soon at any rate. You've rearranged the pieces on the board Jared” Dayan said cryptically as he moved toward the door “I have your word that no matter what happens you'll remain calm?”

“Yes” Jared said and stopped as Dayan paused with his hand in the door “is something likely to happen?”

“You saw how he reacted just at the mention of her name” Dayan said letting out a deep sigh, it sounded like he's been holding it for years “he wanted to kill her and I don't blame him for it. Hell, if I didn't think it would bring down the entire council upon me all at once, I'd end the cunt myself”

“Is she really that bad?” Jared asked dumbfounded at Dayan’s vulgarity, he was a nice Texan boy through and through, he would dare use that word lest his mama slap him silly.

“Before I was Jensen's master I held a seat on the council” he explained to Jared slowly “When we discovered Jensen was an Ardar, it was decided that he would be Kasha’s apprentice. She was incredibly skilled and it seemed like a good fit. She'd taught some of our best”

“So what happened?”

“You have to understand Jared, an Ardar’s gift is incredibly strong” Dayan said fixing him with a knowing stare “before they can be taught and allowed to access the full breadth of their magic, they need to be instructed to control the mind, to master discipline over their emotions. If they lose control, it can be catastrophic”

Jared remembered back to the first night Jensen told him about his gift, about how dangerous it could be if it went wrong ‘ _boom…you've caused an extinction level event_ ’.

He nodded for Dayan to continue.

“He began his instruction with Kasha, Katarzyna is a bit of a mouthful and from everything I heard, he was doing exceptionally well”

Jared prompted him to go on after a brief pause, trying to ignore the dread trickling down his spine “until?”

“Until I decided to drop by and see how he well he was doing for myself” a dark look crossed the blond man's face “it took me all of five minutes to understand what was actually going on during those… _lessons_ and about half that for me unleash every ounce of anger I had upon her in retribution”

“What was she doing?”

“Torturing him” Dayan spat and the trickle of fear turned into a torrent, like a stopper pulled from a shaken champagne bottle “she had been ordered by some of the Elders to do it.”

“Instead of teaching Jensen how to fortify his mind and to gain control of himself, she was tearing it apart and putting Jensen back together on a daily basis” Dayan’s voice turned razor sharp as his fingers twitched by his side “she would drive him to the edge of madness with her mind; flood him with images of pain, of death. She would make it feel like his skull was going to explode with the agony she pummelled into him and then she'd take it away.  Tell him if he was a good boy and did what she said that it wouldn't have to happen again. Then she'd repeat the process. Day after day, week after week. She'd been at it for about three months before I put an end to it. He was twelve years old”

The bile that was sitting at the back of Jared's throat made it difficult to talk, burning white hot as his vision tinged red with wrath, there was an urge to storm out and tear the woman into a thousand pieces that rose within him and it took everything he had to clench down and wring the life from it “why?”

“Because they were afraid of him” Dayan supplied “an Ardar in their prime is a powerful weapon. It was easier to have that power bound to your will rather than oppose it. Power is a commodity people will go to great lengths to retain”

“So what happened after?” Jared croaked through the tears falling down his face in sympathy for his friend. It was beyond Jared how anyone could do something so heinous to a child. The image of a terrified little Jensen cut through him and chilled the marrow in his bones.

“I took him. I threatened that if I ever caught a whiff of anything untoward sent Jensen's way again, that I’d make sure that during their last breath they’d feel every ounce of pain Jensen had. Tenfold”

“And that worked?” Jared asked with a new-found respect for the man before him “I mean, couldn’t they have just killed you instead?”

Dayan chuckled as he looked Jared in the eye “I’ve read almost every book written by our people about magic and the gift, Jared. The different ways in which each race utilize the gift, how unique various can alter the shape of a spell and which ones you can combine to enhance them. I mastered each of them after only a few tries”

“So you’re pretty talented then?” Jared asked feeling very small. Once this was all over with, he had some serious catching up to do.

“I’ll put it this way” Dayan said chewing on his lip as he thought about it “I could hold my own against Jensen one on one, if it ever came down to that. I might even win”

“Remind me not to piss you off then” Jared said with a smile and bumping his shoulder with Dayan and receiving a bump back in return “so the elders aren't much of a threat then?”

“Numbers trump skill” Dayan said thoughtfully “if the elders and every one of the Yatnansus decided to take me on, I would die. I'd go down swinging though”

“What are they?” He asked turning the word over his tongue “the Yatnansus I mean”

“They're the elite guard of the council” Dayan explained in a cool tone “think of them as the Secret Service…but trained in battle magic that's a few thousand years old”

“ _Shit”_

 _“Now_ you're getting it”

 “There’s still one thing I don’t get though Dayan”

“Mmmmm?”

“How were you on the council when Jensen was a teenager?”

“What do you mean?” Dayan asked looking puzzled.

Jared hesitated for moment, he wasn’t quite sure how to phrase his question tactfully “You would’ve had to have been at least, what? Twenty-five? Thirty by then? I mean you’ve got damn good genes for someone that must be pushing fifty”

“Ah” Dayan said awkwardly rubbing his hands together and licking his lips “Jensen hasn’t had that conversation yet has he?”

“What conversation?”

“Jared…I’m one-hundred and sixty-two years old”

“Good one” Jared laughed punching Dayan gently and rolling his eyes “Seriously though, how old are you?”

Dayan stared at him earnestly “I really am one-hundred and sixty-two”

“That’s…not…possible” Jared stammered as Dayan pushed the door open “humans don’t live that long”

“Were not completely human Jared” Dayan said softly holding the door open “Our ancestor came from another world, Remember? The gift extends our lives considerably”

Jared stood rooted on the spot gawking at Dayan and he tried to process the information.

“I was born in London, 1846” He smiled at Jared’s widening look of disbelief as he passed through the door “I was five years old when my father packed up our family and bought us passage on a ship bound for Sydney”

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

The silence that accompanied the trio as they entered the lounge room was thick and palpable; their footsteps echoing violently through the apartment as they moved forward. The mantra of ‘ _Stay calm. Stay calm’_ bounced around Jared’s head and try as he might, he couldn’t help the anger welling up inside him as he watched Jensen’s stiff frame walk ahead of him; the rigid set of his shoulders and the way he held his head high almost made Jared’s heart break. This was a Jensen that fought a myriad of emotions with every determined step he took.

As they finally came to a halt with Dayan and Jared on either side of Jensen, an unspoken configuration of support and warning; Jared took in the motley crew of unwelcome visitors. The woman that had Jensen vibrating with silent hate was leaning idly against the couch with one leg crossed smiled at the sight of Jensen. Jared wouldn't dream of hitting a woman normally; he might need to reconsider when it came to this bitch. She looked to be in her mid-forties, though given the new information supplied by Dayan, who knew exactly how old she was. Kasha’s face was hard and angular, dark brown eyes bore into each of them in turn. Her black hair was tied in a perfect plait and hung loosely over her left shoulder; a stark contrast against the white robe that clung perfectly to her body. One long haggard scar ran down from her left temple to her cheek, it was an imposing sight. He knew instantly that this was a woman who was used to being in control.

“Katarzyna” Jensen’s voice was ice cold and dripped with acid.

“Ardar Jensen” she replied with slight bow of her head. Jared assumed it was supposed to be a formal reference to Jensen and his title; Kasha’s gesture however was entirely hollow. “It’s been far too long my old friend”

“Time moves differently for each of us Kasha” Dayan’s voice chimed in from beside Jensen “some would say it hasn’t been long enough”

Her face flashed angrily for a split second as her gaze landed on him “Master Dayan, how lovely to see you again and _this_ must be your new apprentice Jensen? Nice to finally meet you Jared” His blood ran cold as those dark calculating eyes stopped on him “We’ve heard so much about you”

“Nice to meet you too ma’am” Jared let his Texan manners shine through “I can’t imagine what Jensen would’ve found so interesting to tell you though, honestly. I don’t think I’m doing a very good job of being an apprentice”

“Nonsense” she waved with a dangerous smile “anyone who can summon Gods-Fire after such a short time must be skilled”

Concern twinged in Jensen’s gut at the admission of knowledge, he’d been hoping that the Elder’s might not have known; well, at least he knew why she was here. She was sorely mistaken if she thought either Dayan or himself was going to let her leave with Jared.

“I see” Jensen murmured not taking his eyes off her “Is that why six Yatnansus came with you today Kasha?”

Jared took a moment to take in the six others in the room. Five men and one woman, all dressed in identical loose black robes, hoods on their heads. It was impossible to make out the features for any of them as each wore the same red masquerade mask that obscured their face. Jared guessed the design was meant to inspire fear and obedience; he couldn’t argue with the logic as he took an involuntary gulp. ‘ _Trained in battle magic that’s a few thousand years old’_ Dayan’s voice echoed in his head.

“They’re insurance. Last time we spoke, things got a little… _heated_ ” she said absent-mindedly reaching up and stroking the scar on her face “I’d hate for a re-occurrence”

“Well then, best you let us know why you’re here then” Dayan’s voice was silky smooth and it sent a shiver down Jared’s spine.

“Of course, the council is recalling Jensen from the field” her eyes smiled wickedly at Jensen “the skills of the Ardar are required. A matter has arisen that requires Jensen to accompany me back to Leadrah”

“Leadrah?” the question was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“ _Lee-ah-dra_ ” Dayan corrected from beside Jensen “It’s the capital city of our kind, where most new sorcerers undertake their apprenticeships”

The murderous snarl that issued from Jensen caused the other six guards in the room stand to attention, their bodies shifting into a battle stance and turning square against Jensen.

“I’m not going anywhere” Jensen announced through gritted teeth. Kasha’s mouth pulled into tight smile; Jensen’s refusal was what she wanted.

“It is your obligation as Ardar to return when called Jensen”

“Why don’t you just tell us what the problem is now?” Jared asked struggling to keep the tide of resentment from washing forth.

“I’m afraid the matter can only be handled at Leadrah” she smiled sweetly, eyes never leaving Jensen’s face.

Jensen’s eyes zoomed to the female Yatnansus as her fingers twitched in anticipation for a fight; a quick glance at the rest of them revealed that they were not backing down under his lethal glare. It was a concern that was quickly deepening into full blown fear inside him. It had been a long time since he’d stepped foot in the Obsidian City but regardless of how many years had passed, even the Yatnansus were to yield to his status. The entire situation didn’t add up.

He opened his mind, reaching out to both Jared and Dayan to warn them about the situation but before he could even telegraph a syllable to either a familiar and terrifying consciousness bore into his own; razor-sharp shards of thought slicing him open. His hands slammed brutally against the sides of his head in a useless attempt to block out the mental attack but it was too strong, too practised and suddenly he was no longer the strong-willed man he’d become. Instead he was a frightened twelve-year-old boy with piss stained pants screaming at the pretty woman to make the pain go away, or to just let him die.

Jared opened his mouth to plead with Kasha to stop whatever it was she was doing to Jensen, tears already streaming down his face at the side of his friend but he never got the chance. From the other side of Jensen’s crumpling form came a bone chilling roar of hatred that blew out every pane of glass inside the house, the fury directed towards one single body. Dayan stepped over Jensen’s body that had been reduced to a babbling mess in the foetal position on the floor and stood strong beside Jared; his voice booming inside his skull.

_THAT FUCKING BITCH IS GOING TO PAY!_

Jared squawked as blistering heat bloomed against him and looked beside him trying not to run and hide at the sight of the century-and-a-half-old sorcerer in battle mode. The normally black lines of ink tattooed on his skin were a dazzling white, so bright that Jared would have the design seared onto his retinas for the rest of his life. His hands out before him the heels of his palms connected and fingers splayed wide, a golden ball fire coalescing in the space created as he poured every ounce of hatred into it. Jared could literally see the gift bleeding from within Dayan and down along his skin.

The churning ball of death sounded like a cannon being fired as it struck its intended target, flames bursting outward and curling around the figure of Kasha as it groaned and consumed whatever it could find. The whoop of victory that was working its way through Jared died in its tracks as the blinding light of the fire disappeared, leaving a completely unharmed Kasha; her gaze was still trained on Jensen and it was like she hadn’t even noticed.

“Dayan…” Jared whined apprehensively as he started stumbling backwards at the sight of the advancing Yatnansus.

“I know Jared” he spat through gritted teeth “that should’ve killed her”

“What do we do?” Jared’s mind was churning at a million miles an hour.

“We fight” Dayan said aggressively with a swipe of his hand, sending five out of the six advancing figures across the room. Dayan charged them without a moment’s hesitation and calling over his shoulder “Divide and conquer, I’ve got these _fuckers!_ ”

Jared knew he should be thankful that he was only left with one Yatnansus to deal with but as she continued approaching and drawing a gleaming purple sword without breaking stride, all he could do was quake in terror. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Dayan duelling the other five with a speed and ferocity that was utterly impressive. Lashes of multi-coloured light burst from him as he put the Yatnansus on the defensive, scrambling to mount a counter attack. His attention shifted back to his own opponent who was much to close now and he only just managed to tap his gift and bring his own ethereal blade up in front of his body with a heartbeat to spare.

The resulting collision of their blades sent shockwaves rolling down his arm and it was only with sheer desperation that he managed to keep hold of his katana. The blows that ensued were outstandingly fast and Jared had no choice but to give himself over to his gift in the hope that it would parry the blows quicker than his conscious mind ever could. He managed to land a singular blow to her right arm in the five minutes that they’d been fighting and Jared could feel fatigue setting in as his movements became slower and sloppier. He was on the defensive and it was all too soon that he felt the solidness of a wall press against his back and he knew that she had him on the ropes.

He risked a glance towards Dayan and it appeared that he was having just as little luck as Jared. Dayan’s movements became jerkier as he unleashed a barrage of spells toward his attackers but whatever magic was protecting Kasha seemed to extend to the Yatnansus because the spells had little to no effect. The battle was not in their favour.

A blood curdling scream issued from the ground where Jensen was kneeling, his eyes rolled back into his head and a look of utter torment passed over his face for a few moments before he passed out and hit the ground hard.  Kasha let out a cry of victory and moved quickly to his fallen friend; laying a small hand on Jensen’s unresponsive body as an eerie blue engulfed the pair.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Dayan’s agonised scream assaulted the air around them and Jared felt the overwhelming explosion of magic tear from him.

The terrified shrieks from the Yatnansus as the realisation of whatever magic it was that Dayan was raining down upon them were silenced as sphere of void-black energy expanded from within him. Jared watched in a confusion of amazement and fear as the Yatnansus were blasted back against the wall with the concussive wave of air that proceeded the colourless wall of the spell. As the ball of magic expanded rapidly, Jared’s mouth hung open in shock as each body became nothing but ash in turn. Jared knew in his gut that the spell Dayan had used was not something that was undertaken lightly; his own gift trembled at its very presence. He watched as the darkness sped through the room; Jensen and Kasha vanishing with only seconds to spare. The female guard Jared had been fighting seconds before dissolved into dust on the carpet at his feet.

He was already moving toward Dayan even before the tattooed man collapsed onto his knees; colour draining from his face.

“Dayan!” Jared cried out as he dropped down in front of the older man, his hands on his shoulders keeping him upright “What happened? Where’s Jensen? What are we-”

“Jared, there isn’t much time” Dayan rasped cutting him off “The Forfeiture is working quickly and there are things I need to tell you”

“What’s ‘The Forfeiture’?” He asked bewildered.

“It’s the spell I used” Dayan was sagging heavily against him “It’s life magic, the spell of last resort”

“You…You’re dying, aren’t you?” Jared’s throat closed up at Dayan’s nod of confirmation “how long?”

Dayan’s was stoic in the face death “Ten minutes at best. The spell is aptly named because when you cast it, you forfeit your gift in defence of another. There’s no stopping it once it’s started, game over”

“You love him, don’t you?” Realisation crashed through his mind. It was the only reason why someone would sacrifice themselves.

Dayan nodded weakly.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Jared asked as he felt his heart break.

“Because even if Jensen didn’t already love someone else, I’d never burden him like that”

“Love isn’t a burden Dayan!”

“It is when you’re immortal Jared” Dayan’s face showed no shadow of a joke “I might’ve had a few hundred years with Jensen _maybe_ , but he would be the one who would have to live with the loss as eternity passed him by”

“Jensen. Is. Immortal?” he couldn’t comprehend it. The enormity of a life like that was too much.

“Ardars tap the magic deep in the earth but it comes with a price. They’re forever connected to it and just like the magic of the world never dies, neither do Ardars. The primal magic forces them to live. The only way an Ardar can die is if their body is wounded beyond repair, or they sever The Link. Without connection to the gift, they die”

“No wonder” Jared said to himself “thousands of years watching everyone you know die? I’d go mad…so would Jensen” his heart sank at the thought.

“No, he won’t” Dayan wheezed “He’s got you”

“Me? What can I….” Jared stopped dead in his tracks as a blurry memory surfaced _‘I wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure until today_ ’

“I don’t know if I envy you Jared” Dayan said softly as he watched understanding bloom behind the hazel-green eyes “It’s going to be hard but you promise me you’ll take care of him. That kid has had enough pain for one human lifetime, let alone the countless more to come”

“I promise” Jared swallowed as Dayan’s strength faltered and he laid him softly on the ground.  The freak out regarding immortality could come later.

“I’ll haunt you if you don’t” Dayan winked and raised two fingers up against Jared’s forehead “take these. They’re all I’ve got left to offer now”

Jared let the older man into his mind one last time, allowing the memories of his life to find a new home. He couldn’t control the flow of what he saw as each memory settled in its place but what he did saw made his heart swell at the love that Dayan had for his friend.

_A fifteen-year-old Jensen yelping in fright as a spell he’d been casting blew up in his face. Another one of Jensen blushing furiously as his mentor walks out of his bedroom cackling uncontrollably after walking in on him jerking off. A twelve-year-old Jensen clinging so hard around his neck that he was cutting off his oxygen as the pair escape the Obsidian City, the harrowing screams of Kasha ringing in his ears. Sitting on his balcony with a beer, listening to his former apprentice gush down the phone about how much he was enjoying working on the show and how his voice turned shy as he started talking about the guy ‘Jared’ he was working with. Holding a quaking teenage Jensen and soothing him through the revelation and subsequent fear at finding out that Ardars don’t die. ‘I won’t lie to you Jensen; it’s going to be hard. You might be too scared to love someone because you’re worried about losing them but if you do that, you’ll have no life worth living’_

His face was wet and his throat tight as the trickle of memories slowed and morphed into a different stream of information that poured into his brain and caused a thousand doors to fling open instead. Knowledge. The last gift Dayan was able to pass over was the knowledge of his magic and Jared was inundated with spells. In an instant he knew how to heal, how to manipulate the skies, ways pull different forces together and cast lightning made from fire, methods for creating personal shields or turning invisible and thousand other things.

The connection broke and Jared looked down to find Dayan laying lifeless beside him, his hand having fallen from his face at some stage was resting in his lap. The brilliant topaz of his eyes diminished and unfocused. He pulled himself up to his feet and stared around the ruined apartment. There was nothing here for him anymore and it was not somewhere he wanted to remain now that Dayan was dead and Jensen was MIA. He looked down once more and said a silent prayer for his fallen comrade. He hadn’t known Dayan for long but through his memories and by knowing the kind of man Jensen was, he felt as close to him as possible given the circumstances.

He searched through the litany of spells that now resided inside his head and found the one he was looking for. Dayan had given him the location of the Obsidian City. That was where he would find Jensen and where he would unleash the vengeance of a million suns upon Kasha. Dayan had given him everything he needed to become a weapon. God help anyone who stood in his way. 

 Jared closed his eyes and pictured the Obsidian City with all his might and felt fabric of the universe bend to his will as the floor beneath his feet vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still with me after this chapter, thank you so very much! I hope you've enjoyed it and want to continue reading. 
> 
> Jensen's immortality was something I wrestled with even putting in the story, it was a big part of his back story and why he was so upset with the idea that he may have triggered Jared's gift. I will be touching on it down the track. 
> 
> Wishing you all the best!
> 
> River.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Profuse apologies for the stupidly long delay! Things have not been awesome in my life for that last little while, however everything is looking up. I was going to wait a bit longer to post this so that I could do two at once, but I figured you've been waiting long enough. Please Enjoy!
> 
> Peace,   
> River.

Jared blinked rapidly as he materialised on the black cobbled plaza. While his eyes adjusted to the afternoon sun and the tingling sensation in his extremities dissipated, he wasn't sure that teleporting was an activity he was keen on repeating anytime soon.

Once his eyes adjusted he took in the view before him. He stood in a well-kept plaza before a white stone colonial style building. There was well-manicured grass that opened out on either side. The same glimmering black stones lined the wide-open area. They were glistening almost as if a film of water covered them, and at the centre stood an elegant fountain that was carved of jade.

The entire place hummed with power, and that set him on edge. The magic that coursed beneath his feet was old. Old and far more powerful than anything he'd experienced since his magic awakening.

A small cry to his right claimed his attention. A woman in her thirties stood wide-eyed facing his direction with both hands wrapped tightly around the young boy before her. A dark-haired man (her husband and the boy’s father Jared assumed) stood beside her staring bewilderedly at him and trembling.

“Excuse me?” Jared called as he closed the distance between them, watching as the mother gripped even harder. If she wasn't careful the kid would snap clean in two.

“Y-yes?” The man answered with a quaking voice.

“That there.” Jared said casting an arm towards the main building with its towering columns. “That's the council hall, yes?”

“It is” he replied quirking an eyebrow “the elders are in session now”

“Excellent!” Things would go a lot quicker if they were all in one place. His nerves were already shot. Dayan’s lifeless body flashed through his mind each time he closed his eyes, and it would take time for him to be able to process everything that had occurred in the last few days. But now he had to find Jensen, and fast! “Will you take a message to them for me please?”

“Uhhh…” The man cast his eyes quickly to his wife and son.

Jared couldn't blame the man for trepidation in his eyes, a stranger appearing out of thin air was probably a rare occurrence, even by their standards.

“They'll be fine, I promise” he assured with kindly smile.

“What’s the message?”

“Tell the elders I want to speak with them” Jared offered.

“They're in session though” the man said like that explained everything.

“Give them this” Jared said after a few seconds of consideration.

He reached out and took the man's hand, covering it with his own and concentrated for a minute. The intricate design from the book cover in his dreams floated to the surface, the symbol of Adara herself. When he withdrew his hand, there was a white Celtic-knotted diamond resting on the man's palm pulsing with iridescent light. It was infused with Jared's own gift and a tiny bit alive. _That ought to get their attention_.

“That's…but…” the man's face shot up from his palm with an awestruck expression like he was seeing the sun for the first time “I'll make sure they get the message”

 

Jared watched the man whisper something quickly in his wife's ear and give her a firm nod at the questioning look she threw his way before taking off toward the council hall at a run.

The Obsidian City was a pretty fitting description Jared thought as he looked out over the mid-sized town. The roads, footpaths, and open paved areas were made of the same shining black stone contrasting with the red brick materials that made up the stores and houses. He could feel the beat of the city resonate within him, ageless spells woven into the stone designed to protect the small community. He wondered what this place had seen in the years since it was founded.

Jared tried not to stare directly at each new addition to the crowd that gathered around him during his wait for the elders. Whispers rippling through the throng of onlookers about the mysterious man who was here to speak with the council. Small gasps issuing when they learned that he'd just appeared out of thin air. There was only ever one person rumoured to have that power, and he hadn't been home in almost a decade. He wished they'd just go away. He was having a hard time closing his mind to the nervous energy rolling off them, as he could almost taste their fear. After what felt like an eternity the crowd began to part for a company of five men and three women, followed by a dozen Yatnansus. A brief glance over the group revealed Kasha wasn't with them. _Damn!_

A wiry, older man with grey hair broke the silence, speaking in a commanding tone “We were told the Ardar wished to speak with us” _Elias, leader of the Elders_ Dayan’s memories supplied for him unbidden.

“Kartazyna De Silva” Jared deadpanned in response, if Kasha wasn't here he needed to start hunting elsewhere, there wasn't time for pleasantries “Where is she?”

“Who are you to ask for her whereabouts” a flicker of anger passing across his face at Jared's lack of deference, this man was accustomed to a certain level of respect.

“I'm Jared Padalecki” he replied

“The Ardar’s apprentice?” A young red headed man asked in a breathy voice. Jared nodded.

“We broke council because we were told the Ardar wished to speak with us.” Elias interrupted, his gaze hardening and coming to rest on the father who had just re-joined his wife. He held the diamond out before him “not for some lowly apprentice”

“Jensen is indisposed right now” Jared said shortly fixing Elias with an equally hard stare “I came in his place”

“Eli, if Jensen's apprentice is asking for our help, we should-”

“Silence Elaine” the older man reprimanded “this child has no right to ask anything of us, he's not part of our would”

“I beg to differ” Jared replied impatiently.

“Do you?” Elias sneered, his brows drawing together above his beady eyes “exactly what makes you-”

“Dayan Slanier is dead” cries of shock and grief rocked the crowd. Council woman Elaine clutched at her heart and paled at the news. Jared watched a smile pass across Elias’s mouth for a heartbeat.

“ _When? How?_ ” The redhead asked in shock.

“The Forfeiture” Jared supplied numbly, his heart pounding with anger “less than an hour ago”

“Dayan Slanier was an extraordinary sorcerer, but he was also a traitor. Even if this story is true, his death means nothing to us” a few others in the group murmured their agreement.

“Mr Padalecki, you've wasted our time with this tale of yours and disrupted the city. You'll come with us while the council decides on a fitting punishment.”

 

The sky above them darkened as black storm clouds rolled in overhead at the advancement of the guards. Their hands were outstretched, and the tingle of their magic was pouring off them in waves.

The temper that he'd been keeping a brutal hold on snapped at the sight of them. Jared didn't have time to waste. He was loathed to start a fight with the Yatnansus because innocent people could get hurt. Instead he reached down, past the cool lake of magic within himself and through the tumbling emotions in his chest, driving right into earth beneath his feet and touched the timeless power that resides there for the first time.

What he found there was immense, unbelievably powerful and untamed. It was blistering and raw as it connected with his own gift, sending a rush of incomprehensible power through him. Reality as he knew it vanished around him as his understanding of the world shattered and his consciousness linked with the ageless everything of the universe. It was nothing like he'd ever experienced, vast and limitless. Jared could see each thread of reality that made up the universe.

Jensen had described the power an Ardar could truly wield and Dayan’s memories provided a degree understanding, but this was more than anything he could have ever prepared himself for. The molten gift of the earth burned its way through his veins and for the first time in his life Jared felt truly alive; it wouldn't take much effort on his part to re arrange the world around him as he saw fit. Too much time connected like this could be dangerous, it was intoxicating. He felt like God.

The advancing guards dropped to their knees as Jared slipped back the thin membrane that masked his power, allowing it to wash over the assembled crowd. His eyes burned like the sun itself, blazing like twin lighthouses in a storm, a tiny glimpse of the raw forces he could now fully  command. Satisfied that his message had been received, Jared slammed closed the iron gates of his soul and cut off the magic; his ragged breathing the only sound as sunlight slowly bathed the crowd once more. Only three out of the eight elders dropped to one knee in veneration with a fist over their heart. Now he knew which ones were responsible for Jensen's incarceration he thought as he watched the five that remained standing.

 

“I won't ask again” Jared's voice carved through the silence as though the Old Gods themselves were speaking.

“She's not here” Elias spat, fear and rage contorting his age beaten face “she hasn't been here for many years”

“So, you have no idea where she might be?” He asked cynically “my understanding was that you and here were quite close Elias”

“You're mistaken”

“Liar” his tone was hard “I think you know exactly where she's taken Jensen, just like you knew what she was doing to him all those years ago”

“What is he talking about Elias?” The dark haired elder, Elaine, asked rising to her feet and turning on him.

“I've no idea”

“Go on Elias, tell them why Dayan absconded with Jensen all those years ago.” Jared's voice was silky smooth and dangerous as a razor. “Tell them about how you and the others decided Kasha was to torture Jensen until he became your weapon, until he was under your control.”

 

Jared didn't see who cast the spell. The uproar that came from the crowd was a unified front of anger and disgust. Before he knew it, Elias and the other four elders were blasted onto their backs. Cries for blood were echoed on all sides of him. The leader of the guard raised his hand as he stepped over Elias to deliver a killing blow.

“Stop!” Silence followed his command “Don't kill him.”

“Master Jared” Elaine said turning to him and pausing “ _Adar_ Jared, I know you're new to the gift and our kind. But a crime like this does not go unpunished by our people. An Adar is the foremost authority for us, they are loved beyond measure for their compassion and guidance. We cannot let this go”

“I didn't say they'd go unpunished” Jared said softy stepping up to her and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder “but Jensen wouldn't want you to kill someone in his name”

“What do you suggest then?” The red headed elder asked looking down in disdain at the five men “together they've got seven centuries worth of magic and knowledge, containment could prove…difficult”

Jared knew the answer. He'd known it from the minute he'd heard about what had happened to his best friend during his childhood, and the image of a cowering Jensen had been burnt into his brain for all time. He wouldn't have known how to do it without Dayan's memories. He cast his mind out and slipped through each of the disgraced elders mental wards with ease, after being connected to the entire world, this was childs play. It didn't take him long to find the silvery thread that ran from the source of power within each of them up to their minds and even less time to sever it. _Forgive me Jen._

The five cried out in unison as The Link was unmade; never again able to connect to the power that had driven them to such an act in first place. Now they had nothing to fear because they were nothing. It was the most humane punishment he could think of, and even then, he knew that Jensen would hate him for it.

“It's done” Jared breathed as he opened his eyes.

“my magic!” One of the women cried as tears ran down her cheeks “You've taken my magic!”

Elaine turned wide-eyed at Jared and took a step back as a ripple of fear ran through the crowd.

“You're human now” Jared said through gritted teeth “or as close as you can be. It's more than you deserve, by far. You'll leave Leadrah and live out the rest of your lives as humans”

“You _can't_ do this!” Elias roared standing up and charging Jared.

 “I just did Elias” Jared replied and with a flick of his hand sent the five tumbling through the shimmering archway behind them “I hope it was worth it”

 

~

 

“I'm sorry if I scared your people” Jared said quietly from his chair watching Elaine close the door and cut off the babble of voices beyond.

“They're your people too Jared” she said taking a seat opposite him “I won't lie, some of them are terrified. The legends of the Ardar are a source of wonder to our kin. History paints them as wise and gentle people known for reason and restraint. I think you might've shattered that particular notion for a few of them this afternoon.”

Jared remained quiet, some part of him felt guilty for doing what he did. Like he was no better than those who had conspired against Jensen.

 

“You've also healed a great wound though” Elaine said staring at him intently “many here in Leadrah, myself included, never knew the reason for Jensen's departure. The people thought he had abandoned us, that he simply didn't care.”

“Jensen would never do that.” Jared said quickly but fell quiet when Elaine raised a hand.

“We can understand why he didn't stay, _now_. Twenty-twenty hindsight and all that.”

“He'll hate me for what I've done.” Jared said swallowing the lump in his throat, “but first I have to find him. You really have no idea where she is?”

“I'm sorry” Elaine replied “no one has seen her for a decade…well, no one with any decency”

“Fuck” he'd been so sure that this was where he'd find him.

“All I can say is that it must be somewhere heavily warded if you can't sense him” Elaine ran her fingers along the polished redwood table “there's not many places like that. The Tower of London, Stonehenge, Uluru, although Kasha wouldn't even try to hide there. The magic in that place is older and far stronger than anything we can comprehend.”

“Hang on,” Jared leant forward frowning, “what do you mean if I can't sense him?”

“You're both Ardars Jared.”

 “So?”

“Well it's obvious,” she was looking at him like he was messing with her, “you and Jensen are the only two of your kind. It narrows down the search considerably.”

“Well I know _that,_ ” Jared said petulantly, “but _how_ do I search?”

“I don't understand…through the gift of course” Elaine's eyes narrowed “I thought you were Jensen's apprentice…hasn't he taught you how to control the power of your kind?”

“He didn't know I was an Ardar, not for sure anyway,” Jared supplied “it wasn't until I lost control and conjured something called ‘Gods-Fire’”

Eleanor was visibly impressed and let out a low whistle “That's a powerful spell. I'm surprised you're still standing, considering you haven't had any real training. Even Jensen would've been impressed I think”

“What do you mean ‘even Jensen’?”

“It's…complicated.” Elaine said slowly “You obviously understand what forces an Ardar has at their disposal but not _every_ Ardar born can control it. Not completely anyway. What do you know about how the gift is passed down?”

“Not much to be honest” Jared admitted rubbing his neck “Jensen said that it normally runs in families?”

“That's right. Most magic users will have one child with the gift at least, sometimes it skips a generation or two. Then there's people like you,” Elaine explained pointing at him, “random people who are touched with magic, normally creating a new bloodline. We don't fully understand it, the how or why. Jensen's family though…they were one of the oldest. A direct descendant of Adara herself”

“The Ancestor?” Jared was awestruck.

“Mmhmm. Did Jensen or Dayan ever tell you how we discovered he was an Ardar?”

“No” Jared replied and the memories from Dayan had no answer. He watched Elaine pull a cigarette out of her pocket and light it.

“As you know, the gift manifests in children at a young age, in Jensen's case he was twelve.” Elaine worried her lip before she continued “I'll never forget that day as long as I live. I remember sitting here, the council was in session and Tom, one of the teachers burst through the doors screaming for us to follow.”

“Why?”

“That's what we all wondered, so we followed as quick as we could. By the time we reached Jensen out in the fields, we knew something was horribly wrong.”

She closed her eyes and shuddered.

“When we got there, Jensen's parents were already dead, their bodies only a few feet away from the bright-eyed boy looking up at his spell in wonder.”

“He…he killed them?” Jared’s blood has frozen in his veins.

“By accident of course,” Elaine nodded, “he had no control and neither of his parents could've defended themselves against the first explosion of Jensen's gift. No one could've and no one blamed him for it either.”

“So what went wrong? What spell had he cast?”

“No one knows for sure, maybe not even Jensen” Elaine said softly “I'm not sure it was a spell Jared”

“What else could it have been, it was magic right?”

“Oh, it was magic alright. The most beautiful and wonderful thing I'd ever seen in my life,” a tear ran down her face, “the other elders and I stood there watching, engrossed in the sight. Jensen had opened a rift in space-time”

“A what?” Jared was perplexed.

“A rip in the fabric of the universe, twenty feet tall. Through it flashed a thousand images of space, stars and nebulae; visions of other worlds, some made of diamonds and onyx, others were raging storms of molten lava and fire, worlds still being born and those that had been dead for millions of years already. And there stood Jensen, wide-eyed and wonderstruck, watching it all. The power bleeding off him was more than any mortal could possibly wield.”

“And he was only twelve years old?”

Elaine nodded

“What happened?”

She took another drag of her cigarette and continued, “after what felt like hours he just closed it. By that stage the rest of the elders had joined us and were preparing to fight.”

She raised her hand before Jared could interrupt, “only if things got out of control. We were prepared to do what we had to if he couldn't form The Link in time.”

“Oh,” the memory of Jared's own battle for control over his gift surfaced in his mind, “but he did, obviously. Did it take y'all long to help him through it?”

“We didn't have to. He'd already done it.”

“No fucking way.”

She nodded again. “He told us the pretty lady had helped him when he was scared. She'd calmed him and helped him through it.”

“Who was she?”

“According to Jensen? Adara.”

“But...but she was dead,” Jared stammered “for like thousands of years!”

“Yes, she was. My best guess? The window he'd opened had connected back in time to a point when she was still alive and she'd sensed it. The call of blood or magic was too strong for her to resist. She had to help”

“Jesus” Jared mind was swimming “how the hell did it not drive him around the bend?”

“Maybe it did” Elaine looked pensive “its possibly buried deep within his mind, tangled up in the horrors that Kasha forced upon him”

“Mmmm”

“Circling back to my original point” Elaine said quietly after a few minutes “you and Jensen are both cut from the same cloth, there's never been two Ardar’s at the same time, well, not here anyway. Maybe in the land we come from there was. You _should_ be able to sense his power. I'd imagine it would blaze like nothing else in this world for you”

“I didn't sense anything earlier” Jared replied despondently “I'll try again and maybe-”

 

“COUNCIL WOMAN ELAINE!” a young blonde woman yelled storming into the room, the heavy oak doors slamming against the wall.

“What is it Jean?” The older woman asked quickly rising to her feet “what has happened?”

“We've had word that…” Jean broke off catching sight of Jared sitting at the table, bowing deeply “My Lord Ardar, forgive my intrusion”

“It's alright” Jared said trying not to burst into laughter. _My Lord? Never gonna get used to that._

“Right, well…” she focused her attention on Elaine once more “as I was saying, we've had word from one of the Yatnansus. He was patrolling the boarders of The Breach and swears he saw lights in the windows of The Seat”

“The Seat?” Elaine repeated “you're sure?”

“Yes M’Lady” Jean confirmed with a sharp nod “he's quite adamant that we should investigate, he requested immediate assistance”

“He shall have it. Inform the head of the Yatnansus I require every available guard ready within the hour”

“Yes M’Lady” she replied with a quick bow to both of them before exiting the room.

“What's going on Elaine?” Jared asked moving beside her “what's so important about this place?”

“The Seat, as it's called, is a fortified tower on the boarder of our land” she explained quickly “it belongs to the Ardar of the day. It's layered in protective spells and enchantments of such magnitude it's impossible for any but the Ardar to open. It was built to contain the magic that comes with your kind Jared”

“So?” He asked not quite following her meaning.

“So, The Seat is where an Ardar is taken to be trained when they forge The Link” Elaine face dropped “it's the one place on earth they can practise magic safely, without fear of destroying half the planet if a spell goes south. There hasn't been anyone in that tower in over a decade”

“Elaine” Jared said slowly, trying to ignore the hot stone of dread growing in his gut “if there's light in the tower, it means that Jensen is there right?”

“Without a doubt”

“Which means Kasha has taken him back to the place where she tortured him” is was statement. He struggled to clamp down on the magic swelling inside of him, reacting to his hatred of Kasha.

“Yes” Elaine grunted through gritted teeth, he hands balling at her sides “I'm of the opinion that we rectify the situation, what say you Jared?”

“Definitely” he replied following her to the doors of the council room “I'm of the opinion that it's the last place Kasha will ever draw breath, what say _you_?”

 

She stopped and fixed him with a stare so intense it his insides froze “I'm going to bleed the gift from her bones so slowly she's going to regret the day she was ever fucking born”

~

_Jensen came to with a sudden jerk and found himself shackled against the wall. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings and he immediately regretted it. He knew this room. It was burned into nightmare he'd ever known._

_“Finally, you're awake” a sharp voice called from the corner of the room and Jensen stilled._

No! Please fucking God NO!

_Kasha’s scarred face suddenly appeared in front of him “shall we resume our lessons Jensen? We've got some catching up to do after all”_

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abandon all hope — Ye Who Enter Here - Dante

The pull of sleep was almost irresistible, Jensen was cocooned in a warm blanket and the bed beneath him was soft. It was morning judging by the soft light against his eyelids. He didn't have to be on set until midday, maybe he could just stay here a little while longer.

“I know you're awake” a voice deep purred in his ear and hot breath ghosted against his neck making him groan internally “you've stopped snoring”

The hot press of Jared's body against his back felt good, maybe if he played dead a little while longer, Jared would just let him sleep.

“Jeeennnsseeeeen” the younger man's voice called playfully and he felt a solid arm slip around his waist and pull him closer “I _know_ you’re awake you big kid”

Jensen remained quiet.

“Maybe you _are_ still sleeping? That's an awful shame…” Jared's large hand slid down over his belly and wrapped itself around his cock, stroking slowly as Jensen began to fill at the familiar warmth “because I thought we could have a little fun before work, but if you're sleeping…”

“M’awake” he slurred and covered Jared's hand with his own before he could pull away and sighed when he felt a nip on his shoulder. The kid was insatiable and Jensen grinned because it was all his.

“No, it's ok” he teased slipping his hand out of Jensen's “you _clearly_ need your beauty sleep. Go back to sleep babe”

Jensen turned over in the bed and came to face the younger man he loved so much, his hazel-green eyes swirling with lust and playfulness. His cheek creased from the pillow, brown hair spread over his face, cascading down over his flushed skin. A small grin tugging at his lips. Jensen raised his hand and cupped it to the warm cheek of his boyfriend.

“G’morning” he said softy, leaning across and kissing him, he felt Jared groan against his lips. He pulled back from the kiss and stared at the hunk sharing his bed “Fuck you're gorgeous babe, what did I do to deserve you?”

“A hundred things” Jared replied pushing him on to his back and sliding on to him, pinning his arms above his head just the way Jensen liked and linking their fingers together “and you're gonna do a hundred more”

“Mmmm. I think I'm ok with that” Jensen rasped as Jared ground his hips down, feeling the hard and already slick press of the younger man, it never failed to amaze him that he could get Jared so worked up just by complimenting him.

Jared hummed in satisfaction, licking and sucking across his jaw until his tongue reached its intended destination and it traced the contours of his ear with a practised ease.

“Don't sound so exited Jen, I could just leave you here, all worked up and distracted for the day…”

“Don't you fucking dare” the green-eyed man growled breaking free, slipping his hands into Jared's soft hair and pulling him into a slow kiss. He swallowed a moan when a large hand slipped down and engulfed them both, jerking softly with exquisite friction.

His head fell back with a sigh as Jared continued mouthing at his neck and sending thrills down his spine with his hand. Between the two of them, enough slick had built up and the friction morphed into a warm, wet glide over their joined arousal. He felt Jared's breath hitch and his little moans of pleasure become louder. He'd never forget those sounds, they were burnt into his brain for the eternity of time.

“Fuck Jay…just like _that_ ” he purred shamelessly, overcome with the rising heat between them; he really needed to think about buying a new place, the coop board had already made comments that the walls seemed awfully thin as of late.

“Jen.. _Jen…JENSEN!_ ”

His eyes snapped open when the tone of Jared's cries changed into something dire. The face above him no longer contorted in lust, instead he was wide-eyed and fearful, flushed red. No, not flushed… _burning_. The heat against his skin was blistering and he instinctively shied away from it.

“JAY!” He screamed as small fissures opened along his forehead and cheek, charring from the inside out, small rivers of blood welling over the newly separated skin. The acrid smell burnt hair invades his nostrils as the brown mop ignited in an instant.

“It's hurts Jensen!” Jared whined, locked in place by pain and fear, flames licking his face “ _help me!_ ”

Jensen slipped inside himself, clawing at the cage that held his power, only to find it missing; he groped for it like a blind man in the dark, powerless to aid his blazing lover.

Above him Jared's shrieks of agony cut off abruptly and for a split second he thought it was over. The younger man chocked, then coughed before Jensen felt the slap of blood and tissue smack him in the face. The putrid stench making him feel ill. Jared made one last strangled sound before succumbing to the flames and lighting up like the Fourth of July.

Jensen screamed in agony and loss as the dead body of his lover slumped against him. The world went black.

_Wake up little Ardar, today's lesson isn't over…_

 

A brutal slap against his face forced him to open his eyes. Kasha stood an inch from his face, grinning madly.

“You don't get to hide yourself with him Jensen” she said, “there's nowhere safe for you anymore”

The image of Jared burning alive floated across his mind once more, turning his stomach, he could still feel the flames and smell the charred flesh. He gagged violently and a small amount of vomit left him, slipping down over his chin and soaking his shirt. There was not enough left in his stomach for it to be more substantial, he had no idea how long he'd been here already. It felt like months of twisted hallucinations and crushing grief.

Kasha hadn't fed or watered him since their ‘lessons’ began, there was no need; the Ardar’s curse meant Jensen didn't have to eat or drink, the deep magic would keep him alive regardless. It didn't quench the thirst or sate the hunger however; his head was foggy from dehydration and the dried blood from where the shackles cut into his wrists burn like a motherfucker. There's was no need for sleep either as Kasha was aware, keeping him upright in a stress position meant he never had the chance to slip into the void of unconsciousness and process the depraved illusions Kasha subjected him to. Sanity was slipping away like water in cupped hands and Jensen could do nothing to stop it. The days were becoming darker. He was pretty sure he'd both pissed and shit himself several times over, the smell was a good indication he was on the money with that conclusion.

He'd tried to escape the first time he'd gained consciousness and found his magic bound within, he'd pushed and shoved against the cage to no avail, raging with every ounce of strength he had until realising there was no way to reach it. Whatever Kasha had done to bind him was unbreakable and that little nugget of information was terrifying in its own right. Clearly, she'd found a way to gag an _Ardar_ ’s magic. God only knows what else she was capable of. Which begged the question. _Why was he here_? If Kasha could subdue him so easily, why bother keeping him alive? It was clear she was capable of world domination already if that was her end goal.

Jensen was a strong man, stronger than most at any rate, he had to be in order not to lose himself to eternal magic in the earth. Dayan had taught him well, how to lock stray emotions away in a partition in his mind when working a big spell; he knew how dangerous it was for an Adar to slip. There were consequences on a cosmic scale when it came to certain magics. But even he could only take so much when it came to the depraved psychological warfare that Kasha mastered, without the aid of his gift the magical wards in his mind were non-existent; she slipped into his mind with terrifying ease. The mundane techniques of counting erratic numbers or reciting a single verse of poetry over and over again stood no chance of saving him. Piece by piece she was taking him apart, the never-ending whispers in his mind were not so easily dismissed anymore; there was truth to some of what she told him.

Like Jared. Even before the witch had worked her way back into his mind, the festering kernel of guilt surrounding Jared's awakening had already taken root in his heart. Dayan had been steadfast in his belief that Jensen couldn't have been the reason for Jared to come into his powers; but Dayan didn't have all the facts either. He didn't know about the time earlier this year when Jared was struck down with crippling pneumonia, when Jensen had sat by his side, feeding small tendrils of magic into the sickly man, slowly healing him with each session because he couldn't bear to watch the younger man waste away. Nor did he know about the moments when Jensen was caught so off-guard by Jared, when the younger man was feeling down and Jensen's shield slipped, accidentally dousing the man in his gift; Jensen's love and happiness creeping into the kid and flipping his mood instantly. He was always rewarded with a dimples grin that made every fibre of his being sing and he'd found himself doing it more often over the last few months.  

There was no way to know for sure that it had no impact on Jared's gift and if Jensen was the source of it all? Well, he was worthless cunt. Eternity. _Eternity_. It was a curse; a prison sentence with no end. Jensen remembered the day his mentor revealed to him what it truly meant to be an Ardar with startling clarity. He understood the text book definition of the word; understanding it contextually was whole different ball game.

Dayan hadn't shied away from the gravity of it all, he explained to Jensen that most Ardar's took their own life in order to stave off their madness when the teenage boy had asked why he was the only one. Trudging the long path of time was something humans were never meant to do alone, by nature they were to live and laugh, to love and die.

Maybe he could mark the great passage of time with Jared, two immortals connected across the eons, watching and teaching each generation that came after. Who was to say it would be like that though? Jared could turn on him after two or three hundred years; bitter and resentful at Jensen for subjecting him to it all. And he would be right. The thought of an endless life at odds with Jared was worse than one without him at all.

The loss of Dayan had been almost enough to break him. Even without his gift he knew it was true; Kasha had taken great pride in telling him that his mentor had fallen to The Forfeiture. He'd loved the man so fiercely during his youth, never wanting to be away from his makeshift father. Memories of curling up beside him during a storm and Dayan whispering gentle reassurances to him until the storm passed or he fell asleep. Afternoons spend quietly studying, learning the intricate mechanics of magic and the world or early mornings spent shirtless and sweaty, grappling with each other until fatigue would make them surrender and Dayan would head to the kitchen to make them lunch. It would never be like that again. Dayan was dead and it was because of Jensen. _It’s all because of you Jensen_ the dark part of his mind whispered.

_You caused it all! You left your people to grapple in the dark too, they're your responsibility and what did you do? You ran away, took up acting and fell in love instead of guiding your people as is your duty! You were aware of what Kasha and the other elders were capable of and you didn't take them to task for it; what if they tried again? You don't deserve his love or the adoration of your people, you're nothing but death and disappointment Jensen Ackles. The world is better off without you._

When he felt Kasha’s mental knife pierce him this time he didn't even attempt to fight. _Let the dark come_ he thought and surrendered to her.

 

~

 

It wasn't Jared burning this time, rather it was the entire world that was aflame, the ground soaked wet with the blood of billions; laying an unbreakable curse across the world. Jared stood looking down over it all, insanity blazing alongside the magic in his eyes; nothing left of the man he once knew. Driven out of his mind by loneliness and despair; connected so completely to the overwhelming magic of the universe that he could no longer distinguish between reality and his psychosis.

Entire armies slaughtered with a single thought. Cities broken and ravaged as the land tried to reclaim its dominance; the world had been silent for more years than Jared could remember. He sat on his throne of bone and death and cackled. The world was his. And he was God.

Jensen wept for his broken friend when images from the last thousand years manifested before his inner eye. Of Jared stumbling through the darkness, unguided and inconsolable. Jensen watched cringing at the howl of despair when Jared raised Leadrah to the ground; the ancient town obliterated because the young man couldn't find the answers he sought. He failed to find the cure for death within the walls of The Seat either, so it had to go too. He'd poured every ounce of magic he could summon into Jensen's dead form but it made no difference, the cells of his body remained lifeless and unresponsive to his will. So he turned to the only thing that remained of Jensen. The magic of the Old Gods buried in the earth and he let go, let it fill him up and burn the love and hate he held for his dearest friend in blistering fire until he could no longer remember how to disconnect from it.

Jensen knew it was his fault, he'd had Dayan to walk him through the dangers of lingering in the ancient world of power and chaos; Dayan knew how to pull Jensen back together afterwards. Jared didn't. Jensen was supposed to show him the wonders of the gift, instead he'd died and left his mind and character to disintegrate for a thousand years until it was naught but ash of the wind.

He knew the bitter truth of it in that moment, the epiphany that no living mind could endure eternity without breaking eventually. No wonder Jared had wiped out humanity; if he couldn't have peace and sanity, why should they?

 

~ 

 

Jared stood alone in the eerie darkness that engulfed the world; staring up at the inky blackness with tears in his eyes this time. There were almost no stars anymore, save the few would run out of fissionable material eventually and the universe died completely.  

“Why did you do this to me Jen?” His voice asked sadly. He turned and locked his eyes on Jensen's across the barren earth of the dreamscape “I never asked for any of this you know?”

“I know Jay” his reply was broken, just like the ageless god standing across from him “I never meant for it to go like this”

Jared snorted and sneered at him “’the road to hell’ and all that I guess?”

“Jay…”

“You don't get to call me that” Jared growled “not anymore. Not after you lied to me and ruined my life. You drove me to it. What other choice did I have?”

“Drove you to what?” Jensen was confused. Dream Jared appeared before him suddenly, a heartbreaking sadness pouring off him in waves so huge it threatened to suffocate him

“Killing you” Jared replied lifelessly “you don't remember? It was the only way I could find peace in this godforsaken world. And now even your ghost won't leave me be”

_This wasn't right, Jared wouldn't hurt Jensen, would he?_

He reached out to touch his friend but the younger man recoiled and lighting flashed around them.

“You made a promise once Jensen” his bore into the depth of his soul “that it wouldn't matter if I couldn't love you the way you loved me. As long as I was by your side it was enough”

“It was! It _is_!” Jensen promised.

“ _Liar!_ ” The venom in Jared's voice was lethal “I turned you down time and time again, as gently as I could. Pleaded with you to find another man that could be what you wanted, give you what you needed, but you wouldn't. Instead you twisted it over and over in your brain until you believed I hated you”

“N-no, I'd never believe that” Jensen stammered as his heart bottomed out at the thought.

“You did” Jared focused his attention back up to vast nothingness overhead and laughed bitterly “and when you couldn't have me, you tried to end me. You would've killed yourself afterwards, I'm sure of it. Maybe it would've been better that way, I would've been spared having to do the dead myself, but it didn't. Here we are at the end of everything and I'm still stuck with you”

He had no response for Jared's omission about his murder, so he stood silently watching Jared stare at the sky, if you could even call it that anymore.  

“Go away Jensen” Jared instructed, turning and walking back across the dead world “there's nothing here for you anymore, there was once, but not now. Let me endure the last of this curse you gave me in peace Jensen”

 

“Enough” he pleaded, sagging against the chains as the stone floor beneath him came into focus “Enough. Just stop”

“You see the truth of it now, don't you?” Kasha questioned, her left eyebrow raised.

“We’re wrong” Jensen admitted to himself more than Kasha. Real or not, the dreams he'd witnessed showed him the true danger of an Ardar “we live too long”

“Yes, you do” Kasha stepped up to him “that much power contained in a single person? It's a wonder the world wasn't destroyed centuries ago, isn't it?”

Jensen nodded numbly and he couldn't fight against her anymore. It had been months of it and he was exhausted to his core.

“There's one more thing you need to see I think” Kasha informed him, placing her fingers against his temple “this one isn't of my design Jensen”

“What d’you mean?” He slurred, his tongue was thick and dry in his mouth.

“This is a memory. _Your memory_ ”

The world whited out.

 

_The grass was damp and soft beneath his bare feet as he chased the butterfly across the field, the sun warm against his back and the black stones of the city far behind him, reflecting the light of the sun like a mirror. The tiny hands outstretched before him were his own, he realised. Pale and unblemished. He must've been a child again._

_“Jensen, sweetheart! Don't go too far away ok?” The melodic voice of his mother called from behind him. He turned toward her smiling face and waved. She always smiled when she saw Jensen, it gave him a weird feeling in his tummy each time. “That's love Jensen” she'd explained to him one summer morning when he'd asked her about it. Jensen decided he liked ‘love’, a lot._

_He giggled at the feeling and turned back to chase his prey, only to find it had gotten too far away. There was no way he could catch up now. Daddy could! He's bigger than me and can ran much faster._

_The black and orange butterfly continued to elude him, making him angry. It wasn't fair! All he wanted to do was hold it! He'd let it go once he had. He stared hard at it and wished it would come back to him._

_Something tingled in his chest, almost the same feeling as love; warm and comforting. Like when his dad ran his hands through Jensen’s hair when he was sleepy. He focused on it with everything he could, he didn't want to forget the feeling ever again._

_A cold breeze blew up around him and Jensen shivered against it; he was only in his shorts and it wasn't supposed to be cold this time of year. The butterfly stopped in mid-air and slowly began to fly back to him, zigzagging through the air. He giggled in pure joy. It finally came to settle on his left wrist, wings opening and closing slowly; it was so pretty. Jensen wondered other kinds of butterfly's there were in the world and about all the different animals, he'd read about a few but there must be lots more out there!_

_He began to shake as the tingly feeling in his chest grew hot and started spreading out into his body, he could feel it everywhere, right down into his little toes. It didn't feel right, it was like the time he'd gotten sick and mummy had made a gross soup for him, telling the small boy it would make him feel better. He'd hated it and he didn't want to get sick again if it meant she'd make more stupid soup!_

_He fought against the feeling as hard as he could, pushing it out of his body and into the empty air before him. He started shaking more now and the wind got stronger and colder, there was no more warm sun on his skin anymore, the scary clouds were above him now and that meant the bad noise was coming! He cried out at the first clap of thunder and the itchy feeling become suddenly worse, it began to glow in the air in front of him, turning into a crack like the one in his bedroom wall. He started crying and looked down; the pretty butterfly was dead, turning to ash before his eyes. He was scared and needed daddy!_

_“JENSEN!” his mother shrieked nearby and he turned to look at her. She had tears in her eyes and she looked pale“ALAN!” she called daddy's name over her shoulder before looking back to him._

_“It's alright sweetheart! Just calm down” she soothed, taking a step forward and flinching as the sky crackled once more “it's all going to be ok”_

_The white light behind him was making a strange buzzing sound and getting brighter with each moment that went by._

_“Daddy!” He cried out as Alan arrived next to his wife, wide-eyed and fearful, looking over Jensen's shoulder._

_“It's ok champ” He said softly, taking a cautious step toward his terrified son “I want you to breath. Can you feel something inside you?”_

_“Mmmhmm” Jensen nodded, a tear sliding down his face._

_“Good. It's all ok, I promise” Alan took another step forward “it's just your magic waking up for the first time, a bit like when we go into town early in the morning and you're a bit sleepy still. It's just like that, your magic is confused”_

_“I'm scared!” He wailed reaching out for his father._

_“I know little man” Donna whispered to him._

_“I want you to focus on that hot feeling in your chest Jensen. You need to relax and let it go everywhere inside your body. Can you do that for me?”_

_Jensen nodded once more and closed his eyes, he reached out and touched the burning hot feeling, trying to do what his dad told him to. Two large, loud explosions went off right beside him, bright light flaring against his closed eyes and a wall of air made him stumble. He opened his eyes without meaning to and let out a blood curdling screech._

_His mum and dad were on the ground, their arms and legs stuck out at funny angles; there was blood leaking from his mother’s eyes and daddy was on fire._

_Jensen screamed over and over, hoping that Mr Tom next door would come over and help. Something was wrong with his parents and he didn't know how to fix it._

_Jensen wailed once more and space behind him exploded in dazzling, multicoloured lights._

“NO!” Jensen bellowed hard enough that he could taste blood as the memory faded and he wept openly “I…I _killed_ them!”

“Yes Jensen, you did” Kasha remarked quietly, watching the blonde man's face writhe on agony “though you couldn't help it”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER!” He roared, fighting against his bonds and re-opening the wounds “I FUCKING KILLED MY PARENTS!”

“Exactly Jensen!” Kasha’s eyes narrowed and she stepped closer “you all of twelve years old at the time and you managed that!”

“It's my _fault_!” He gasped, falling slack in the shackles as the weight of it crushed him.

“You can't change what happened Jensen” the witch said quietly “but you can prevent something worse from occurring!”

“Like what?”

“You've seen firsthand how quickly things can go wrong! You've done it with your own gift!” She placed a hand on his shoulder and smirked inwardly at her victory when Jensen didn’t shrug her off “your kind has no equal! There no force strong enough to contain you if you go nuclear”

Jensen was quite for a long time, Kasha was about to open her mouth to speak when Jensen looked up and met her eyes.

“We’re too dangerous” Jensen murmured lifelessly. Kasha knew she'd won “we can't be allowed to exist. Not if we want to prevent something catastrophic happening”

“I can't do it myself Jensen, I'm simply not strong enough” every word was carefully calculated, she spoke slowly and quietly. All her eggs were in this basket, there was no other way. Her influence only extended so for over Jensen; she doubted even her mental manipulations could force him to kill Jared. It had to be Jensen's decision in the end. She'd worked hard on him over the last few hours, distorting time in The Seat so she didn't have to rush. She was so close now…

“Release me” he said bluntly. The green eyes dull and devoid of any emotion when he spoke next “Jared hasn't had much training, it'll be quick and painless”

“It's the only way Jensen” she replied waving her hands and releasing him, she was prepared to catch him if he fell when the shackles clicked open but he managed to stand on his own “it's a mercy killing Jensen, you see that don't you? You're saving him from himself”

“I know” the large man sighed and straightened up “I'll need food and water. I can't do this in my current state”

“Through there” Kasha pointed to bedroom just off to the left of the chamber, she'd readied it just in case “clean yourself up and replenish your strength”

“I'll need sleep. Wake me when it's time” he grunted slipping into the room and closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer to post than I'd anticipated for the simple reason that I needed to let go of it for a few days before I could stand to read it again. I'm sorry, these things needed to happen to Jensen in order for the rest of the story to flow. We are well and truly down the rabbit hole now folks.   
> I'm pretty sure my beta hates me because of this update...
> 
> If anyone can advise me on how to link another users profile in the notes section it would be much appreciated, I have not been able to workout how to do it and I'd like to tag my beta in these updates so you guys can check out her work. I'm sure its probably easy and I'm just being daft.
> 
> Chapter 9 is underway, it is most likely going to be split and it's going to be loooong. Please have patience while I get it finished, I'd rather it not feel rushed when you read it.
> 
> Lots of love as always,   
> River.


	9. Delay Update

Hello Everyone,

This is just an update as to the delay with the latest chapter for this work, I owe you guys an explanation. 

I have lost one of my closest friends to suicide a few weeks ago and I have simply not been in the headspace to have the words flow for this story. He was a very kind and loving soul who I have known for many years, but sadly he found that he could no longer go on. We all have our own demons, some have more than others and not all of us find a way to beat back the voices that whisper to us in the darkest of our hours. 

I wanted to post this and let you all know that the work will not be abandoned, it may just take some time for me to find the calmness of my mind once more and produce something to read that is worth while. 

I do sincerely hope that you're all doing well. 

Remember to take time with those you hold close, enjoy the laughs and fights, the ups and downs while you can. 

As Always,

Pace and Love, 

River. 

 


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